Dwarven Pantheon

The Stout Folk of the Realms worship a pantheon of deities collectively known as the Morndinsamman, a term that can be loosely translated shield brothers on high or the high dwarves. The composition of the pantheon varies slightly from clan to clan (and even more so from world to world), but the powers presented hereafter are venerated or at least acknowledged in most dwarven settlements of Faerun.

Although the term Morndinsamman is commonly used to refer to all acknowledged dwarven gods, formal membership in the pantheon is determined by Moradin. The good and neutral dwarven gods, including Moradin, Berronar, Clangeddin, Dugmaren, Dumathoin, Gorm, Haela, Marthammor, Sharindlar, Thard, and Vergadain, have always been members in good standing. Abbathor is still a member, as his treachery has ever been proven, although most of his fellows detest him. Laduguer was banished by the All-Father long ago, and Deep Duerra was exiled immediately following her apotheosis and ascension, but both are considered members-in-exile. Diirinka and his mad brother, Diinkarazan, are the only dwarven powers who are truly no longer members of the Morndinsamman.

The dwarven gods are said to have sprung from stone and earth, beginning with Moradin. Berronar is universally held to be Moradin's wife, and many dwarven theologians hold that all the other dwarven powers are their descendants, although the exact ordering and ancestry vary from myth to myth. After Moradin and Berronar, the oldest dwarven powers are thought to be Dumathoin, Abbathor, Laduguer, Clangeddin, Sharindlar, and the twins Diinkarazan and Diirinka. The next group of dwarven gods commonly worshiped in the Realms includes Thard Harr, Gorm Gulthyn, Marthammor Duin, and Dugmaren Brightmantle. Recent additions to the dwarven pantheon, said to be the grandchildren of Moradin and Berronar, have included Haela Brightaxe and Deep Duerra.

The Morndinsamman are intimately involved with the lives of their worshipers, and the Stout Folk as a whole are an unusually devout race. Faced with the slow decline of dwarves across Faerun, the dwarven powers have become increasingly active as they seek to reverse that trend. Correspondingly, dwarven religion has assumed an increasingly important role in dwarven culture and society. The dwarven pantheon is predominantly male, reflecting the population imbalance between the two genders.

Unlike the elven pantheon, the members of the Morndinsamman are scattered across the Outer Planes. This may be symbolic and reflective of the dwarven desire for territory and living space; just as mortal dwarves are ever exploring new territory below the surface world, the deities themselves live apart as well. An oddity of the dwarven deities is that most can, if they wish, have their avatars appear huge in stature - up to 20 feet tall in the case of Moradin. Dwarven theologians believe this reflects their activist natures and inspirational roles as leaders among the dwarves.

While some nondwarven scholars claim that the Stout Folk migrated to the Realms from another crystal sphere early in the history of Abeir-Toril - perhaps through a gate located in the heart of the planet - the collective dwarven racial memory holds that their ancestors sprang fully formed from the heart of the world itself. The All-Father is said to have secretly fashioned dwarves of iron and mithral in his Soul Forge, using his huge magical hammer to beat the bodies into shape and then breathing on his creations to cool them and to give them souls.

One is struck, in a study of dwarven theology, by the relationship between procreation and metalcraft; perhaps more than one dwarven smith has looked upon a finished piece of work and felt as if she or he had breathed life into the metal and given it a soul of sorts, as Moradin did long ago. Moradin taught the first dwarves the skills of smithing and metalworking, enabling them to exploit the riches of their homes in the mountains and craft items to allow further exploration. These early dwarves also learned toolmaking and weaponcrafting from Moradin, who watches over these activities still. No dwarven deity has a sacred or totem animal, and the holy symbols used to represent them are invariably not living objects. This derives in large part from some of the teachings of Moradin, who ruled that the dwarves must hold no other race above them; having an animal as a symbol would imply that animal was better than the dwarves. Likewise, Moradin said that the dwarves should not ever worship each other, so no dwarf or part of one is ever used as a holy symbol.

In many versions of the myths concerning the founding of the race, the earliest dwarves must fight their way up from the world's core to the mountains above, overcoming many dangers on the way. These are usually great monsters and physical hazards that the dwarves overcome by strength, combat, and physical skill, rather than by wit or trickery. These early myths are fully consistent with the way in which dwarven theology stresses the pragmatic and practical. There is absolutely no place for the arcane or mystical in dwarven myths, legends, and beliefs. It is unknown when or where dwarves appeared in the Realms, but most dwarven legends trace the earliest settlements of the Stout Folk back tens of thousands of years to the great mountain range known as the Yehimal. It is believed that in a great exodus from the Yehimal, the Stout Folk split into two (or possibly three) major branches as they spread across Faerun, Kara-Tur, and Zakhara. Those who came to Faerun are believed to have first settled beneath modern-day Semphar before spreading westward, eventually fragmenting into four dwarven subraces.

The first great kingdom of dwarves in Faerun was centered in the great cavern of Bhaerynden deep beneath the Shaar. The first great schism among the Stout Folk came with the founding of Shanatar beneath the lands of Amn, Erikazar, Tethyr, Calimshan, the Land of Lions, and the Lake of Steam. Emigrants from the Deep Realm merged with the scattered enclaves of dwarves already resident in the region to form a distinct subrace of the Stout Folk known today as the shield dwarves (mountain dwarves). Shield dwarves eventually founded most of the great dwarven nations of the North, from Oghrann to Gharraghaur. (The D'tarig of Anauroch are descendants of shield dwarves and humans, though their dwarven blood is now so thin that they are essentially a short human race and have totally forgotten the dwarven cultural ties.)

From the earliest shield dwarves, Dumathoin then created the urdunnirin. After the Crown Wars and the descent of the dark elves, Bhaerynden and the surrounding territories fell to the drow, and the dwarves of southern Faerun were driven into exile and scattered. Those dwarves who fled as far as the jungles of Chult abandoned their subterranean homes and interbred with the small enclaves of dwarves already dwelling in the jungles. Their offspring were the ancestors of the wild dwarves (jungle dwarves) who dwell on the Chultan peninsula today. After the first drow kingdom of Telantiwar tore itself apart in civil war, the great cavern of Bhaerynden collapsed to form the Great Rift. Those dwarves who resettled the caverns of the Deep Realm surrounding the Great Rift were the ancestors of the gold dwarves (hill dwarves).

The last great schism among the Stout Folk occurred when an entire clan of shield dwarves, Clan Duergar, was enslaved by illithids some time before the founding of Deep Shanatar. The gray dwarves, as the duergar came to be known, were long absent from Shanatar before their rediscovery, and they spread through much of the Underdark during the intervening period. It is speculated that the legendary derro may be the result of breeding experiments by the illithids between gray dwarves and humans, but this has never been proven. Other minor branches of the dwarven race, including the desert dwarves of Maztica, the arctic dwarves of the Great Glacier, and the albino dwarves of Chult, are simply isolated clans of shield dwarves. Legends of a race of aquatic dwarves in the Sea of Fallen Stars have been conclusively discredited by every scholar who has looked into the question.

Various schisms in the dwarven pantheon have mirrored the fragmentation of the dwarven race in Faerun. The shield dwarves and gold dwarves still worship and perceive the Morndinsamman similarly, and both generally revere, or at least acknowledge, all of the High Dwarves. But the gray dwarves venerate Laduguer and Deep Duerra to the near exclusion of the other dwarven gods. Likewise, the legendary derro speak only of Diirinka, and in a handful of cases, Diinkarazan, much as the wild dwarves revere only Thard Harr.

There are those among the dwarves who blame the gods for the present decline of the race or who feel that the old gods are simply too weak or too out-of-touch with the wider world in which the dwarves must live to aid their folk successfully in the ages to come. Many dwarves have dabbled in new beliefs, including one that advocates mastery of wizardry as the key to the race's survival, one that promotes interbreeding with humans and gnomes coupled with secretive diplomacy (so as to dominate and eventually absorb these more fecund races), and so on. Most of these new beliefs have tended to come and go as passingfads, embraced for a time by each successive generation of young dwarves.

Berronar Truesilver (BAlR-roe-nahr TROO-sihl-vur) is the bride of Moradin. She dwells with him at the Soul Forge beneath the mountains in Solania (fourth of the Seven Heavens, called Khynnduum in the oldest dwarven writings). The Revered Mother is the defender and protector of the home - not a passive homebody. She is seen as the patron of marriage and love, and her name is often invoked in small home rituals for protection against thieves and duplicity. Berronar is also the goddess of healing. Lawful good dwarves who value their families, clans, and the common strength and security of dwarven society revere her for her caring and loving service to the entire race. All dwarves of any alignment who seek a safe refuge or who want their loved ones or relatives kept safe offer her appeasement as well. Although Berronar's avatar is rarely seen in the Realms, the Revered Mother works ceaselessly to preserve and protect dwarven culture and civilization. Her favorite techniques involve manifesting her powers in dwarven mortals on occasions crucial to the survival of a clan, people, or lore records. She does so either to guide and empower them to protective feats of arms or to lead them to the discovery of forgotten records, facts, and truths.

If a braid of Berronar's beard is cut off, it regrows in a single day. At the end of that day, the lock that was cut off turns to gold (worth 10,000-40,000 gold pieces). Both the goddess herself and her avatar form in the Realms have this ability. On very rare occasions, when the most powerful priest of Berronar in a community makes humble supplication to the goddess, Berronar gives such locks of hair to mortal dwarves. This gold is given only to dwarven communities that are exceptionally poor or hard-pressed and unable to recover economically otherwise. Berronar is the powerful matron who, along with Moradin, has held the sometimes fractious dwarven pantheon united during an extended period of slow decline in the dwarven population of the Realms. She works hand-in-hand with Sharindlar, guiding dwarves into and through the lasting bonds of marriage once the Lady of Life brings them together. The Mother of Hearth and Home also works closely with Moradin, Clangeddin, and Gorm to ensure the safety of dwarven holds. Berronar views the antics of Dugmaren, Haela, and Marthammor with patient humor, foreseeing the day when they and their followers settle down and join in the traditional clan life of the Stout Folk. The Revered Mother is the tireless foe of Abbathor, viewing his all-consuming greed as the greatest threat to dwarven unity at a time when a united front may be all that keeps the Stout Folk from being overrun by ores and their kin.

The Revered Mother is a kind and caring goddess with a strong motherly love for all dwarves and their allies who value compassion, fidelity, simplicity, tradition, the home, and family. Berronar has a ready, hearty laugh and a merry disposition, but she never wavers in the face of adversity or despairs in times of great loss. She can be strict or even fierce, if the situation so warrants, but the indomitable Mother Goddess of the dwarves is ever forgiving of her children, be they mortal or divine.

Berronar settles many disagreements among the Morndinsamman, and her skills at persuasion are such that she can usually make two foes understand each other and set aside their differences. Berronar often sends an avatar to defend threatened dwarven clans, especially small ones threatened by events beyond their

Other Manifestations

In more pressing conditions, Berronar can empower an individual dwarf with her favor, This direct and unsubtle form of aid is granted only in emergencies. Berronar prefers to work through lawful good dwarven fighters, using suggestion to encourage appeals to her. If such a warrior appeals to the Revered Mother for specific aid and makes an appropriately large sacrifice there is a slight chance to receive this aid. The sacrifice should consist mainly of the dwarf's wealth, which Berronar causes to vanish from her temple altars. She then personally distributes it to the poorest dwarves throughout the Realms. Only dwarves of exceptionally pure heart are considered for this honor, and Berronar grants it at most only once in every 10 years to the same individual.

Berronar is served by aasimon, archons, earth elementals, einheriar, galeb duhr, guardian nagas, hammer golems, hollyphants, incarnates (of charity, faith, and justice), ki-rin, maruts, noctrals, pers, shedu, sunflies, and t'uen'rin. Her omens are often suggestion effects to her priests and illusions that dissolve to reveal a truth (a revealed area, an item of symbolic meaning, etc.). Certain gems, including octel, shandon, and sphene, are said by dwarves to be the hardened tears of Berronar. Rock crystal also qualifies, but only when clear within and found naturally smoothed by ice or water. The discovery of such jewels is believed to be a sign of Berronar's favor, and no other dwarven faith - including that of Dumathoin - incorporates any of these stones in either its rituals or its sacred lore. Other signs other favor include the sudden blossoming of white flowers and the discovery of freshwater springs. The Revered Mother indicates her displeasure by shattering the crude clay statuettes Grafted in her image that adorn the hearth mantles of most dwarven homes, by causing hearth flames to turn black in color and be extinguished, and by unleashing small, localized tremors that do little damage aside from knocking the being that has garnered the Revered Mother's displeasure to the ground and leaving small cracks in the floor and nearby walls.

The Church

All priests of Berronar were female until the Time of Troubles; a few males have joined the priesthood since then.

Berronar and her followers are widely respected throughout dwarven culture as well as among other human and demihuman societies. None would question the dedication to duty, compassion, or goodness of the Revered Mother's priests. Only among the younger dwarven Wanderers is there a hint of dissent, for some hold that the clergies of Berronar and Moradin cling too tightly to the old ways in the face of new and ever-expanding threats to the Stout Folk.

Temples of the Revered Mother may be found both above and below the surface. A temple to Berronar aboveground consists of a circle of stones, usually in a wooded area, in which small fires are kindled in a random pattern. Gems and metal sculptures are set up among them on metal poles to sparkle and reflect back the firelight during worship. Actual sparkler fireworks are used on the two main holy days to mark the ending of each unison prayer. An underground temple to Berronar is a cavern in which the priests have carefully arranged mosses, lichens, fungi, and the like brought by the hands of faithful. They keep these watered and nourished to form a lush carpet all over the floor; this covering also climbs the walls as high as possible. Luminescent fungi are favored, to give the cavern as much natural light as possible. Magical items with the power to create dancing fights are highly valued, and nondwarven wielders of such items are sometimes even hired to illuminate such a temple by this means. Such "lighters" must come to the temple naked and blindfolded, but they are treated with the utmost care and courtesy. When the ceremony is over, they are taken safely back to the surface under guard, in such a way as to maintain their dignity but keep the location of and route to the temple hidden from them.

Novices of Berronar are known as the Daughters/Sons of Berronar. Full priests of the Revered Mother are known as Revered Sisters/Brothers. In ascending order of rank, the titles used by Berronan priests are Hearth-mistress/Headmaster, Homesteader, Lorekeeper, Faithkeeper, Fidelite, and Sacred Heart. High Old Ones have unique individual titles but are collectively known as the Keepers of the Truesilver. Specialty priests are known as faernor, a dwarvish word that can be loosely translated as those of the home. The clergy of Berronar includes gold dwarves (54%), shield dwarves (45%), and a handful (1%) of jungle dwarves and gray dwarves. Berronar's clergy is composed primarily of specialty priests (42%) and clerics (38%), plus a handful of fighter/clerics (5%) and crusaders (5%). Female dwarves still constitute most of the priesthood (98%).

Dogma: The Children of Moradin are shaped on the Soul Forge and ever warmed by the embrace of the Revered Mother. Tend the hearth and home, drawing strength and safety from truth, tradition, and the rule of law. Join with friends, kin, and clan in common purpose. Do not succumb to the misery of greed or the evils of strife, but always bring hope, health, and cheer to those in need. Once an oath is made, Berronar watches over its keeping - to break it is to grieve her sorely. Children must be cherished and guarded well from harm, for they are future of the race.

Day-to-Day Activities : Berronar's priests serve as the guardians and protectors of dwarven clans; they also maintain lore records and family histories. The members of Berronar's clergy strive to further the good health and good character of all dwarves. They heal the sick and injured, attempt to treat, eradicate, and stop the spread of disease, develop antidotes to dwarfsbane and other poisons that can affect dwarves, and encourage truthfulness, obedience to law, peaceful harmony, and governance of greed and goldlust. Priests of Berronar never ignore a dwarf in need of aid, and they always help to the best of their ability. If a Revered Sister/Brother lacks magical means of curing, she or he finds someone who can heal or provide all the nonmagical care possible. The duty of a priest of Berronar is to keep every dwarf alive, whatever the cost.

In many respects, Berronar's priests are the pillars on which dwarven society is built. Revered Sisters/Brothers are instrumental in maintaining traditional dwarven culture, in knitting together families, in educating and nurturing young dwarves, and in maintaining the orderly governance of dwarven society. While rarely holding formal positions of leadership, the senior priest of Berronar in a dwarven hold or clan usually holds a position of great influence that rivals, if not exceeds, that of the titular ruler of the hold or clan.

Holy Days/Important Ceremonies ; Priests of Berronar worship the Mother Goddess by kneeling, closing their eyes, picturing the Revered Mother, and whispering prayers that begin and end with her name. They typically do this when asking for her guidance or when they are about to heal in her name. Her guidance is often given via an inner feeling or decision.

Annual offerings of silver are made to Berronar in the form of coins, jewelry, drinking vessels, or trade-bars (a dwarven invention). White flowers sometimes adorn the offerings in token of dwarven love and affection for the Mother Goddess. Midwinter day and Midsummer night are celebrated by Berronar's faithful as holy days of the Revered Mother, although monthly observances are common in the larger temples. More elaborate rituals to Berronar take place aboveground on Midsummer Night and underground the rest of the time. Rituals honoring Berronar typically begin with a chanted prayer and continue with an address from the Keepers of the Truesilver.

This ends in a responsive prayer led by a High Old One or chosen priest. Next comes a report of the good works and successes of the priesthood and an identification of failures and problems still to be overcome. Another responsive prayer follows, then a rising, spirit-lifting unison prayer. If a very sick dwarf or dwarves are present, unison healing then takes place.

The entire assembled clergy lays hands on the afflicted ones and calls on Berronar. Healing does not always occur, although the deadening of pain (for 1d4+l days) always does - the assembled priests take the pain upon themselves. If healing does take place, it is a manifestation of the goddess, not a cast spell. Berronar's Touch, as this is known, has in the past cured blindness, insanity, lycanthropy, poisonings, life energy loss, bodily transformations due to parasitic or symbiotic plant life, tissue corrosion, and the like, in addition to more simple wounds and diseases.

As betrothal and married life are the province of Berronar, lawful good dwarves follow her custom of exchanging rings with those for whom they feel deep, mutual trust and love, a ceremony that is never entered into lightly. The rings are often silver, matching the Revered Mother's symbol, and are treated by dwarven smiths to be everbright (never to tarnish), then blessed by priests of Berronar. If one of the parties participates with deceit in his or her heart, Berronar's power makes one of the rings crumble during the blessing (or both rings, if both are false).

Major Centers of Worship: Araufaern Caurak, the Abbey of Earth-hearth, is a great subterranean fortress atop a low plateau that dominates the eastern reaches of the Firecaverns of the Deep Realm. The Firecaverns include a long, narrow rift, warmed by nearby lava flows that stretch for miles in the depths, and many side caverns linked to the rift. The Firecaverns are lit by (and named for) a distinctive fungus that grows thickly on the rift's wall and floor and gives off a strong, steady amber hue. The abbey resembles the bottom half of a white marble pyramid capped by a gleaming, gilded dome. Earthhearth is accessed by a broad, slowly ascending ramp leading up from the cavern floor below to a great gate in the center of the abbey's western wall. Both the abbey and the Firecaverns are ruled by High Princess Royal Rathauna Forgesilver, and the easy-going, tolerant settlement embodies the principles of Berronar's faith. Earthhearth serves as the governmental, militant, medical, educational, cultural, and social heart of the Firecaverns. The abbey serves as the chapter house of the Legion of Silver Helms, a military order composed predominantly of crusaders and fighter/clerics dedicated to the Revered Mother. This militia defends the great cavern complex's borders. The Grand Hearth, as the vast central hall of the abbey is known, houses a wide variety of activities, including exhibits of dwarven craftsmanship, royal marriages, storytelling, balls, feasts, and the like.

Affiliated Orders: Berronar's Valkyries are crusaders and fighter/clerics who operate as small bands of elite dwarven female warriors. The role of the; order is to ensure that dwarven warriors (who are predominantly male) return to their hold and clan alive afte going to war. As such, the Valkyries accompany dwarven armies to battle, but instead of immediately joining in the fray, they choose a high vantage point from which to observe. If and when small pockets of dwarven warriors are in danger of being overrun, or when a dwarf is too badly wounded to withdraw, the Valkyries charge to the rescue. The Order of the Silver Knightingale is a loosely structured order composed primarily of physicians, medics, clerics, and specialty priests skilled in the art of healing. Silver Knightingales, most of whom are female, accompany dwarven warriors into battle but do not fight except to defend themselves. Their role is to minister to the dead and dying and minimize the number of dwarven casualties using their healing skills. In peacetime, members of the order disperse to their individual clans and holds where they continue their roles as healers.

Priestly Vestments; The ceremonial garb of members of Berronar's clergy includes white underrobes with cloth-of-silver overtunics. The Revered Mother's priests remain bareheaded. The holy symbol of the faith is twin, interlocking, large silver rings worn on a steel or silver chain hung around the neck. Many Revered Sisters/Brothers add twin silver rings to their vestments, one on each ring finger.

Clangeddin Silverbeard (CLAN-gehd-din SIHL-vur-beerd) is the Father of Battle and primary dwarven war god. All dwarves who must fight, especially dwarves who are warriors by profession, worship Clangeddin, their patron and exultant leader in war. The Father of Battle is the deity of choice among lawful neutral dwarven warriors.

Clangeddin watches over the battle-skills and performances of dwarves from his mountain fortress in Arcadia. He encourages valor in battle, weapon-mastery and training, and wisdom in war, and most often manifests his powers to further these aims. Clangeddin is concerned with war as a way of life and is very different from Moradin in this respect. The aptly named Father of Battle especially hates giants and has taught the dwarves - and the gnomes, through their gods - special ways of fighting giant-type creatures.

Clangeddin maintains good relations with the other members of the Morndinsamman, with the notable exceptions of Abbathor and the duergar deities. He works closely with Moradin, Gorm, and Marthammor, and regards Haela as both a daughter and a protege. The Father of Battle works closely with the gods of the gnome pantheon, particularly Gaerdal Ironhand, and he has forged strong alliances with Arvoreen, the Red Knight, Torm, and Tyr. The most hated enemies of the Father of Battle are Grolantor and his hill giant followers, followed closely by Karontor, Memnor, Kostchtchie, Vaprak, Surtr, and Thrym, plus the various evil giant races that revere them. Since the Time of Troubles, Clangeddin has nursed a grudge against Labelas Enoreth, elven god of time and longevity, for destroying his avatar form in a battle that raged across the isle of Ruathym.

Clangeddin is a resolute warrior who never backs down from danger and who refuses to surrender even when all seems lost. He is a strict and ethical deity who brooks no treachery or deceit and who never negotiates or compromises. Triumph must be obtained through valor and bravery, and Clangeddin is swift to humble and humiliate any who overcome by cowardly or deceitful means. The Father of Battle is known for often snatching victory from the narrowest of margins in battle. Clangeddin uses his magic only to influence events indirectly, never in battle. He only resorts to influencing a battle when the very existence of his avatar in the Realms is threatened. He always prefers force of arms to spells. Clangeddin is merry in battle, roaring appreciation of shrewd strategies, bravery, and feats of skill even when such are directed against him. He often sings (both stirring battle-ballads and taunting little ditties to unnerve enemies) in the midst of a fight, and dwarves have learned to listen for hints, cues, and warnings in his lyrics. He is a master at turning the tables on enemy armies by anticipating their movements on the battlefield and singing directions to dwarves fighting with him. Like most dwarves, Clangeddin admires most those who help themselves. He typically appears at a battle only to right hopeless odds against dwarves, to balance treachery and punish the treasonous, and to aid the weak of all races against evil, especially the acts of giants.

Other Manifestations

Clangeddin's favor is usually seen as a flickering amber, red, or white radiance around a dwarf or weapon that is temporarily imbued with the god's power.

This power typically gives any or all of the following aids to affected beings for 1 turn: (1) first strike in any combat round; (2) an increase in Armor Class of 8; (3) a temporary increase for warriors of 7 levels, with resultant saving throw and THAC0 changes and temporary hit points - all damage taken is subtracted from these points first; (4) the immediate breaking of any charms or other magical controls, recognizing them for what they are; (5) the ability to stand upright and unmoving against any charge, force, magical effect, or blow - damage is suffered, but falling or overbearing is impossible.

This power typically gives any or all of the following benefits to a weapon: (1) +9 bonus to attack, not damage, with nonmagical weapons for seven rounds thereafter; (2) double damage, or triple to giant-type creatures; (3) immunity to breakage or other damage (automatic successful item saving throws).

Clangeddin sometimes takes away especially brave dwarves who sacrifice themselves to ensure a dwarven victory, cloaking them in a bright radiance before they vanish. Dwarves believe that the dying servant is restored by Clangeddin and taken to serve the god as a guardian. Such individuals sometimes appear again briefly in the Realms as "ghost dwarves" to guide lost or defend weak dwarves in the wilds. These ghosts are easily recognized by those who knew them in life.

All of Clangeddin's clergy members were male until the Time of Troubles, but since then the church has begun to accept females.

The Father of Battle, one of the senior members of the Morndinsamman, and his followers are widely revered throughout dwarven culture for their dedication and martial skill. More pacifistic members of dwarven society may wish Clangeddin's priests were less belligerent, but none question their crucial role in the continued survival of the dwarven race. Among other races, Clangeddin and his followers are often perceived as little more than bloodthirsty berserkers, but those who fight alongside the Father of Battle's followers quickly leam of their principled approach to warfare and the lengths to which they will go to defend their fellow dwarves and allies.

Clangeddin's most sacred shrines are dwarven cairns erected on the fields of past battles, whether they be on the surface or in the tunnels of the Underdark. Sometimes a cavern in which the followers of Clangeddin won a great victory is dedicated as a great temple to the Father of Battle. (Many times when a new clanhold or kingdom is being carved out of hostile territory, a temple of Clangeddin is dedicated in the cavern where the climatic battle was won, thus firmly establishing the dwarven presence.) Such temples are dominated by great stone statues of dwarven heroes past, armor and weapons worn by Clangeddin's greatest warriors, and huge granite blocks stained blood-red that serve as altars on which weapons are offered up to the god.

Novices of Clangeddin, like novices of Haela, are known as the Unblooded. Full priests of the Father of Battle are known as Axebrothers/Axesisters. In ascending order of rank, the titles used by Clangeddite priests are Axecutter, Squire, Knight of the Third Rank, Knight of the Second Rank, Knight of the First Rank, and Knight Commander - but these are often superseded by titles that go with a position. High Old Ones have unique individual titles but are collectively known as War Princes/Princesses. Specialty priests are known as alaghor, a dwarvish word that can be loosely translated as those who demonstrate valor in battle. The clergy of Clangeddin is evenly divided between gold dwarves (50%) and shield dwarves (50%), with a rare jungle dwarf or gray dwarf as well. Clangeddin's clergy is numerically dominated by its most martial members, including crusaders (25%), fighters (23%), specialty priests (20%), fighter/specialty priests (11%), fighter/clerics (11%), and clerics (10%). Most priests of the Father of Battle are male (90%).

Dogma: War is the finest hour of dwarvenkind. Seize the opportunity to defend the Stout Folk and ensure their victory wherever conflict does erupt. Revel in the challenge of a good fight, and never waver in the face of adversity, no matter how ominous. When not fighting, prepare for the next conflict physically, tactically, and by acquiring resources. Attack hill giants whenever possible and other evil giants when necessary.

Death on the field of battle is never welcomed and lives should never be thrown away foolishly. However, if necessary for victory, the highest service that followers of the Father of Battle can perform is to sacrifice themselves for the cause on the field of battle by protecting as many other dwarves as possible.

Day-to-Day Activities: The members of Clangeddin's clergy form an elite warrior caste in many clans, maintaining their positions by training hard physically every day. They are always preparing for war, physically, tactically, and by acquiring resources. To ensure dwarven victory in every open fray, priests of Clangeddin try to further the weapon training, tactical training, and battle skills of every living dwarf. Weaponcrafting and training are required for all worshipers of the god, and priests of the god pass on their battle knowledge at an almost frantic rate to all dwarves who will lend an ear. Priests of Clangeddin seek to make the dwarves ever stronger on the battlefield and are always alert for new tactics, traps, and weapons. For instance, they take great interest in the items devised by the Lantanna and other worshipers of the human god Gond.

Holy Days / Important Ceremonies: Clangeddin's faithful or lost, as holy days. Individual temples mark particular days more than others, as the entire year-long calendar is overfilled with anniversaries of past battles. Conflicts whose importance and heroes have faded into the mists of time are commemorated every decade, century, or millennium, as appropriate.

On holy days or during battle, always on a known (past, present, or immediately pending) battlefield, priests of Clangeddin chant, pray, and break weapons that they have anointed with their own blood. The god often manifests as a glowing radiance to consume the weapons, and this radiance may extend to worshipers as a temporary protective aura in battle. Offered weapons not consumed by the god are either twisted and shattered (where-upon they must be melted down and used for other things) or left un- touched (whereupon they may be used again, with the god's approval).

The Father of Battle is often worshiped by frantic prayers in the midst of the fray. At such times, the god preferentially answers those who fight on fearlessly. When time permits, however, either on the evening before an anticipated battle or at the burial of a great dwarven warrior, the rituals of worship include a procession of the faithful onto the battlefield or gravesite. Clangeddin's priests lead the participants in a mournful dirge, a wordless rising and falling chant. The sound rises slowly into an exultant roaring and ends in a single, high, clear singing note - an odd, eerie contrast to the rough-voiced bloodsong that has preceded it. The slow-marching procession is always accompanied by slow, steady drumbeats (from drums carried by lesser priests) and consists of dwarves wearing their most battered armor (freshly used, if possible). These faithful are led and followed by chain mailarmored priests, who may echo the drumbeat by crashing weapons against shields. When the procession reaches its goal, the priests cast down their shields, hold their weapons high, and begin to whisper the god's name. They then close their eyes and continue whispering, concentrating on whatever image each one has of Clangeddin. (This is always the appearance of the avatar or manifestation if the dwarf has witnessed the direct acts of the god.) The priests then begin to move toward wherever they feel the god's presence is strongest and so blindly draw together until they collide. At that spot, they make the weapon sacrifice, speak the names of the valiant fallen that they wish the god to remember and hold in esteem, then kneel to await a sign. And an answer is often given - anything from a roll of thunder to a shield speaking a blessing, command, or answer. If the ritual was a burial, it is concluded with the interment and a solemn march away. If, instead, it was a preparation for a battle, it is concluded with a war chant and a "wild run," in which the participants wave weapons and emit whoops and war-cries.

Major Centers of Worship: Alagh Rorncaurak, the Battlecavern of Unquenched Valor, is a vast natural chasm deep beneath the Earthfast Mountains that tower over neighboring Impiltur. Located in what was once the heart of the dwarven city of Earthfast, Clangeddin's great natural cathedral is now located on the western periphery of the embattled dwarf-held caverns. It is the subject of frequent assaults by orcish armies intent on overrunning the dwarven kingdom. Cindarm mac Faern, grandnephew of Torg mac Cei, the late Ironlord of Earthfast, leads the elite (but badly outnumbered) Clangeddites against wave after wave of orcish assaults. Only the recent arrival of dwarven mercenaries of Clan Hammerhand has given the temple's defenders enough breathing room to fortify their defenses. While the temple's central sanctuary and the entrance to the remaining dwarf-held districts of Earthfast are still inviolate, the temple's shattered western barracks are the site of countless skirmishes between wandering orcish patro s and dwarven defenders.

Affiliated Orders: Scores of military orders and countless dwarven brotherhoods have been dedicated to the Father of Battle, beginning with the earliest, long-forgotten kingdoms of the dwarves. The followers of Clangeddin in each clanhold or kingdom tend to organize themselves into one or more fighting companies, and each band has its own name and famous exploits. Legendary companies of past millennia include the Knights of the Ninth Axe, the Valorous Harts of High Shanatar, the Order of the Crescent Moon (jointly dedicated to Clangeddin and Selune), the Fellowship of the Bleeding Axe, the Sailors of the Mountainous Waves (the Madbeard marines of fabled Haunghdannar), the Shining Blades of Iltkazar, the Glory of Gauntlegrym, and the Company of the Last Kuldjargh.

Because magic seems to go awry in their hands, and they can never control real power of the Art like human wizards, dwarves have always been fascinated by magic and the capturing of magical powers within an item that a dwarf has created and can wield. Down through the ages, there have been over a thousand thousand dwarven smiths of skill in working with magic. They have always been among the wealthiest, most powerful, and most respected dwarves. Some have gone further than that, looking beyond dwarven skill to the inspiration that guided them and seeing in it a divine presence - a presence that, they believe, lives in the magical items themselves.

Centuries ago, the Father of Battle embraced some of these cults of Axe Dwarves - for they most commonly worship sentient axes - in a bid to fold sentient magic weapons into his portfolio and to join such battle-loving dwarves with the more orthodox branches of his faith. While Clangeddin has exhibited little patience or tolerance for dwarves who revere weapons controlled by malevolent or insane spirits, he has been willing to grant spellcasting powers to those few cults that adhere to the principles, if not the ritual practices, of his faith. Despite the efforts of the Father of Battle, however, the majority of such cults stray far from the principles of Clangeddin's faith and are supported by other divine powers. Such cults have gone to war to extend the rule of these sacred items over other dwarves, and even over small communities of humans, halflings, and gnomes.

The most fearsome relic around which a dwarven axe cult is based is the Living Axe, an animated, bronzed, adamantite, double-bladed battle axe ot great size that is neutral evil in alignment and delights in killing, periodically flying amok among ores or whatever creatures it chances upon (including dwarves who worship it). This legendary watch axe has been known to hunt beings across the Realms, capriciously sparing some who openly defy it and butchering others whom it surprises before they even realize what is happening. The Living Axe is said to be very old, and most believe it was once wielded by an avatar of the Father of Battle before the collapse of the great cavern of Bhaerynden (now the Great Rift). While its precise powers are unknown, the War Princes/Princesses of Clangeddin suspect that the intelligence within the Living Axe has been driven insane by the twisted dreams of Diinkarazan, the mad derro demipower, and that the Mad God may be the power behind many of the most depraved dwarven axe cults.

Priestly Vestments: Clangeddin's priests wear silver chain mail armor, war helms, and tabards depicting the symbol of the Father of Battle as their ceremonial garb. Priests of Clangeddin seldom take off their helms, although there is no prohibition against doing so. The holy symbol of the faith is a pair of miniature steel battle axes welded together in a cross; this is typically suspended on a chain and worn around the neck.

Adventuring Garb: In combat situations, priests of the Father of Battle favor the most effective armor available, often replacing their ceremonial silver chain mail with suits of dwarven plate mail.They never like to fight with shields, but they will do so to protect other dwarves. While Clangeddin's priests employ a wide range of weaponry, they prefer weapons that cleave, crush, or bludgeon, such as axes, maces, and flails. They rarely employ missile weapons (other than throwing axes or the occasional heavy crossbow) or swords. The magical weapon of choice among the members of Clangeddin's clergy is magical axe.

Whether they are supported by Clangeddin or not, Axe Dwarven priests - who are all members of the crusader class - are always armed with multiple throwing axes and a variety of other weapons, and they wear high, spired, and spiked helms of fantastic design. Devout Axe Dwarves also seek to create more magical weapons

Dugmaren Brightmantle (DUHG-mah-ren BRITE-man-tuhl) is the patron of dwarven scholars and the embodiment of the chaotic and exploratory spirit that consumes some of the Stout Folk. He is venerated by dwarves and a few gnomes, all of whom are scholars, inventors, engineers, tinkers, and fiddlers. His worshipers are consumed with the acquiring of knowledge simply for its own sake rather than for any practical purpose. Whereas Moradin draws smiths and other craftsfolk to his forge, Dugmaren attracts those free-thinkers who want to create something truly new, not a variation on an old theme.

Dugmaren is thought to be a child of Moradin - a chaotic element split off from his father's stern lawfulness and nurtured by the favor of his mother Berronar. In fact the All-Father relates well to Dugmaren's creative and explorative instincts, but the Wandering Tinker often drifts away from projects before they are completed and usually before he has found a use for the knowledge he has gathered - a trait that irritates Moradin to no end. Dugmaren is always getting himself enmeshed in one exploit or another, and his regular accomplices include Haela or Marthammor of the Morndinsamman and Brandobaris, Erevan Ilesere, Nebelun/Gond, or Shaundakul from the other human or demihuman pantheons. Aside from Gargauth, who embodies everything corruptive and malevolent in the discovery of lost or undiscovered knowledge, the gods of the illithids, who seek to hoard knowledge for themselves, and Urdlen, who hates everyone and everything, the Wandering Tinker has no true foes. However, Dugmaren finds the company of Abbathor, Deep Duerra, Laduguer, and the goblin and evil giant gods trying at best. The Wandering Tinker is tolerated by the lawful members of the dwarven pantheon because his inventions and innovations have proven to have had beneficial aspects.

Dugmaren is a benign, inquisitive, cheerful, and optimistic deity concerned with discovering the unknown. He is an inveterate acquirer of trivia and little-used knowledge, an experimenter and a fiddler. Although he dwells within the Dwarvish Mountain in the Outlands, he often ventures into the planes of Arborea, Elysium, and Bytopia. The Wandering Tinker sometimes dispatches an avatar to act as an unseen guide for dwarven scholars and travelers, protecting them in their searches and providing hints on where to look for knowledge.

Other Manifestations

Dugmaren rarely manifests in an obvious or direct fashion. Instead, the Wandering Tinker prefers to guide his followers to new discoveries as subtly as possible. For example, he might manifest by causing a book to open to a page of particular interest or by causing a secret door to shift slightly, revealing its existence to a determined searcher.

When he does find it necessary to manifest his presence directly, Dugmaren typically envelops a worshiper or object in a bright nimbus of bluetinted light. The effect of such an aura varies according to the situation. Dugmaren typically manifests through the actions of sentient creatures by giving them the ability to use a single divination spell, such as detect magic, ESP, identify, legend lore, or true seeing, or a single defensive spell, such as anti-magic shell, ironguard, magical vestment, minor globe of invulnerability, protection/rom evil, or shield. The Wandering Tinker sometimes manifests by transforming a follower's mental picture into a physical object in a fashion similar to the effects of the spell major creation.

Dugmaren is served by archons, aasimon, einheriar, electrum dragons, feystags, and gynosphinxes. He demonstrates his favor through the discovery of king's tears, pearls, unlooked-for scraps of lore of any sort, and faint, long-forgotten melodies with no apparent source. The Wandering Tinker indicates his displeasure by temporarily preventing a tome from opening, by causing a device to seize up and stop working, or by blocking one or more forms of sensory input (usually hearing) for a time. He also provides cryptic omens in the form of riddles, puzzles, and impossible objects.

The Church Until the Time of Troubles, all priests of Dugmaren were male dwarves or male gnomes, but females of both races are now accepted into the clergy.

The followers of Dugmaren are viewed with a certain measure of distrust and suspicion by most dwarves. While Dugmaren's apostles are well regarded for their learning and inventiveness, few dwarves are willing to spend a great deal of time in the company of the Wandering Tinker's faithful. There are two reasons for such reticence: the fear of getting caught up in the spectacular failure of yet another experiment, and the fact that the quixotic behavior of Dugmaren's followers is tiring to the orderly mindset common to the children of Moradin. Other human and demihuman races tend to be more tolerant of Dugmaren's followers than their fellow dwarves are. Temples of Dugmaren are found both above ground and below.

They are usually sprawling complexes crammed full of the detritus of countless experiments as well as artifacts collected on extended sojourns to distant locales. At the center of each such house of worship is a huge library housing a large collection of rune stones plus the tomes and scrolls of other races. Altars of Dugmaren consist of a simple block of granite (or some other hard stone) upon which sits a single ever-burning candle symbolizing the quest for knowledge. Novices of Dugmaren are known as the Curious. Full priests of the Wandering Tinker are known as Seekers of Truth and Mystery. In ascending order of rank, the titles used by Dugmarenite priests are Questing Wanderer, Avid Fiddler, Philosophical Tinker, Seeking Scholar, Searching Sage, and Errant Philosopher. High Old Ones have unique individual titles but are collectively known as the High Savants. Specialty priests are known as xothor, a dwarvish word that can be loosely translated as those who seek knowledge. The clergy of Dugmaren includes shield dwarves (53%), gold dwarves (46%), and a handful (1%) of gray dwarves, jungle dwarves, and gnomes. Dugmaren's clergy is dominated by specialty priests (85%), but does include a few clerics (12%) and fighter/clerics (3%) as well. The priesthood is unevenly divided by gender: 96% male and 4% female.

Dogma: The secrets of the world are waiting to be revealed. Travel widely, broaden your mind at every opportunity, and pursue the life of a scholar. Cultivate the spirit of inquiry among the young and be a teacher to all. Seek to recover the lost and/or arcane knowledge of ages past and apply it in the world of today. Try new methods of doing things just for the joy of experimenting. Learn a little of everything, for you never know what might be of use down the road.

Day-to-Day Activities: Priests of the Wandering Tinker spend their days in scholarly pursuits, seeking to learn, teach, and advance nearly every field of knowledge even marginally interesting to the dwarven race. Many Seekers of Truth and Mystery serve as instructors to the young, while others record and archive current dwarven practices for future generations. Dugmaren's clergy members travel widely, seeking new experiences, new ideas, and the recovery of lost dwarven lore.

Holy Days/Important Ceremonies The church of Dugmaren has little in the way of formal ritual or ceremony. Priests of the Wandering Tinker whisper a prayer of thankfulness to Dugmaren when they discover a piece of forgotten lore or whenever they make a significant discovery of any sort. Greengrass and Higharvestide are the only holy days regularly celebrated by Dugmaren's faithful. Such days begin with several hours of private early-morning introspection, usually spent staring into the heart of a single lit candle. These personal meditations are followed by a day-long convocation of scholars in which the results of scholarly investigations since the last such symposium are presented, defended, and discussed.

Major Centers of Worship: With the founding of Luruar in the Year of the Gauntlet (1369 DR) and the elevation of Alustriel to rule it, Silverymoon's role as the preeminent center of learning within the Moonlands of the North has continued to expand. With the blessing and encouragement of King Harbromm and the Bright Lady, 40 dwarven scholars from Citadel Adbar, under the direction of Savant of Mysteries Daurant Tomescribe, emigrated to Silverymoon in the first few months of the Year of the Tankard (1370 DR). There they founded a temple of Dugmaren alongside the other colleges, temples, and libraries of the Gem of the North. Both rulers saw this development as a way to ensure that the dwarves of the emerging nation of Luruar contributed to and benefited from the scholarly work and intellectual ferment already underway in the capitol city.

Since its inception, the Athenaeum of Philosophy, located east of the Market and northwest of Alustriel's Palace, between Fortune Hall and the Temple of Silver Stars, has been the home of invention, experimentation, philosophical and scholarly debate, and seminars on a wide range of topics - these last being open to the general public. Although the worshipers of Tymora and Selune have uttered more than a few fervent prayers to their goddesses after alarming explosions emanating from the experimental laboratories beneath Dugmaren's house of worship, the introduction of two score dwarven inventors and sages to Silverymoon's scholarly circles has been a great success and is starting to draw more dwarves from the lands of fallen Delzoun, as well as scholars of other races based in Silverymoon, to share in the intellectual ferment.

The Athenaeum itself once served as a training facility for the Knights of Silver based in the nearby palace, and halls that were once employed for dining, sleeping, and weapons training are now occupied by sprawling laboratories and great libraries filled with obscure knowledge of questionable usefulness. The temple is always ablaze with light as its residents experiment, tinker, and invent night and day. Visiting scholars of any race are welcome to reside in the temple for a night or even a tenday, but few find the ever-present chaos conducive to a good night's sleep.

Affiliated Orders: The Order of the Lost Tome is a loosely structured fellowship of errant dwarven scholars dedicated to the recovery of lost dwarven lore for the benefit of kingdoms and clan holds throughout the Realms. Individual Knights of the Lost Tome usually work alone or in the company of dwarven and nondwarven adventurers unaffiliated with the order. They combine their passion for knowledge and investigative abilities with the martial skills necessary to defeat the current occupants of fallen dwarven strongholds thought to contain examples of and treatises on lost dwarven lore.

Priestly Vestments: Dugmaren's priests tend to eschew formal religious garb aside from plain, homespun white garments with vibrant sashes the width of a hand. High Old Ones of the faith wear simple silver circlets to denote their status. The holy symbol of the faith is a silver locket Grafted to resemble an open book. Many of Dugmaren's followers keep small bits of lore - riddles, puzzles, command words, etc. - inside such lockets in homage to the god - and also to keep them readily available in unexpected situations.

Adventuring Garb: Members of Dugmaren's clergy dress practically when exploring dangerous or unknown territories. Most favor light armor and weapons, preferring maneuverability over defense. Many carry unique weapons; most also have items with defensive capabilities of widely varying usefulness and reliability, which they have invented and wish to field-test.

Gorm Gulthyn (GORM GULL-thin) is the guardian and protector of dwarvenkind throughout the Realms as well as the god of all Stout Folk who serve as guardians. Those dwarves who require protection or armed aid pay tribute in appeasement to the Lord of the Bronze Mask. Lawful neutral and lawful good dwarves in particular turn to Fire Eyes.

Gorm is closely allied with Clanggedin, Marthammor, and Moradin, and he has excellent relations with the other nonchaotic and nonevil dwarven deities. Gorm is ever vigilant against Abbathor's suspected betrayals, although he has never proven the Trove Lord's treachery. The Lord of the Bronze Mask has established good relations with the powers of other pantheons who view the world much as he does, such as Arvoreen, Gaerdal Ironhand, and Helm, but he has little patience for those he distrusts, including Baervan Wildwanderer, Brandobaris, and Mask. While Gorm regularly contests with the goblinkin and evil giant pantheons, he reserves his greatest hatred for the orcish god Shargaas, as the Night Lord is the only power to have ever successfully stolen an object the Sentinel was actively guarding. Gorm says little, but has a stern, booming voice when he does speak. He is consumed by the demands of his role as protector and has little interest in or tolerance for foolish activities that might detract from his readiness or sentimentality that might interfere with his dispassion. The Sentinel is ever on the alert for threats to dwarves, and he is a tireless defender of the Stout Folk, even coming to the defense of gray dwarves when they are beset by foes whose evil makes that of the duergar pale in comparison.

While Gorm can dispatch up to two avatars simultaneously, there are always so many battles in which his intercession is critical that the Sentinel can rarely afford for his avatars to remain in any single location for more than a turn. As a result, each avatar is nearly always resident in the Realms, teleporting from place to place to aid dwarves in withstanding armed attacks or powerful monsters, and they return to Watchkeep only when in need of the armory amassed there or to use his Seat of Heating. Gorm acts only when dwarves are already engaged in combat and need his aid. At such times he appears, engages in a frenzied, all-out attack, seeking to do the most damage to the enemies of the dwarves as he possibly can, and then vanishes again. He cannot return to a given locale in avatar form twice in a 24-hour period, but he can manifest himself between his avatar appearances in a continuing battle.

Other Manifestations

Gorm prefers to act directly, husbanding his power for personal combat. He therefore manifests seldom, except to imbue dwarven individuals with temporary combat powers. This usually involves conferring a temporary +3 protection from good/evil aura, as well as immunity from a specific attack form (for example, fire) or spell. Sometimes Fire Eyes temporarily enchants a weapon, conferring a +3 attack and damage bonus until the conclusion of the current or next battle.

On occasion, Gorm rouses sleeping dwarves or otherwise warns of intruders or impending attack by causing a disembodied metal gauntlet to appear and strike any handy metal shield or breastplate. The struck metal rings with a terrific rolling, gonglike noise and sports two burning eyes for the next turn. When the eyes fade, two eyeholes will have been burned in the metal. Dwarves treasure such damaged shields and armor and always display them as trophies, rather than melting them down to make a whole item again.

If Gorm must leave a battle knowing the dwarves there still face a grave challenge, he manifests later as a glowing hand. His hand breaks ropes, hurls back siege ladders, and strikes blows (one a round, for 1d6+11 points of damage). It operates with Gorm's full strength and sees by means of two burning eyes in its palm.

Until the Time of Troubles, the priesthood of Gorm was all male; since then a few females have joined the church.

Gorm is well regarded by the children of Moradin for his unswerving dedication to the defense of the Stout Folk. While most dwarves regard Fire Eyes as stem and humorless, few discount his role in ensuring the continued survival of those dwarven strongholds that have not fallen. Among the other gnome, halfling, and human races, Gorm is well regarded by those of similar disposition who tend to follow deities such as Arvoreen, Gaerdal Ironhand, and Helm, but he is written off as the archetypal dour dwarf by most elves and others of a more chaotic bent.

Temples of Gorm are always plain, unadorned stone caverns or rooms quarried from solid rock. The altar is a stone bench in front of a closed, locked door of massive construction, representing a location that a dwarf might have to guard. Instead of a stone bench, a temple might use an old tomb casket; if occupied, it must be by a fallen, not undead, priest of Gorm. Such chambers are often adorned with visored helms, or if particularly blessed, a shield or breastplate with twin eyeholes burned through, as discussed above under Other Manifestations. The Sentinel's chapels are typically adjacent to an armory, a training hall, and barracks, and most such houses of worship are located amidst fortifications that guard entrances to the halls of the Stout Folk.

The clergy of Gorm are collectively known as Guardians or Guardian-Priests. Novices of Gorm are known as the Watchful Guards. Full priests of Fire Eyes are known as the Vigilant Host. In ascending order of rank, the titles used by Gormite priests are Lockout of the First Rank, Scout of the Second Rank, Sentry of the Third Rank, Sentinel of the Fourth Rank, Defender of the Fifth Rank, and Guardian of the Sixth Rank. High Old Ones have unique titles but are collectively known as Lord/Lady Protectors. Specialty priests are known as barakor, a dwarvish word that can be loosely translated as those who shield. The clergy of Gorm includes both shield dwarves (48%) and gold dwarves (52%). While there are no formal barriers to either gray dwarves or jungle dwarves joining the ranks of Gorm's clergy, none are known to have done so in recent history. The Sentinel's clergy is dominated by specialty priests (41%), with the remainder nearly balanced between clerics (22%), crusaders (20%), and fighter/clerics (17%). The clergy of Fire Eyes is 95% male.

Dogma: Never waver in your duty to Gorm's sacred charges. Defend, protect, and keep safe the children of the Morndinsamman from the hostile forces of the outside world. Be always vigilant and ever alert so that you are never surprised. If need be, be prepared to pay the greatest price so that the clan and the community survive, and your name will be honored for generations.

Day-to-Day Activities : The Vigilant Host guards most clanhold entries, the Gates on the borders of The Deep Realm, as well as all temples of Gorm. Priests of Gorm serve as protectors and bodyguards for all dwarves, especially the young and childrearing parents of both sexes. They instruct dwarven warriors fulfilling such roles in the arts of alertness, blindfighting, and weapons-skills (in other words, in campaigns using proficiencies, the priests of Gorm can tutor dwarves in all proficiencies useful to guardians). The foremost aim of any lesser priest of Gorm is to protect the dwarves assigned to him. Veteran priests of higher rank may choose whom they protect. If this involves sacrificing one's life, so be it; that is "Gorm's greatest price," as every priest of Gorm knows.

Holy Days/Important Ceremonies; Every festival in the Calendar of Harptos is sacred to the priesthood of Gorm. On such holy days, guardians of Gorm gather for a salute, a ritual involving the rhythmic grounding of weapons, and a responsively chanted prayer. Offerings to Gorm are of weapons used, even broken, in the service of guardianship anointed with tears, sweat, and drops of blood of the dwarf making the offering. Rituals involve silent vigils, muttered prayers, and answering visions from the god. At the height of a salute, if the ritual is performed in the chancel of one of Gorm's temples, the door behind the altar sometimes opens by the power of the god and through it may come instructive phantom images, scrolls or potions, weapons, pieces of armor, or even maps - small aids from the god, to help his faithful fulfill their duties. When this happens, the morale of a worshiper of Gorm who is wearing or using any gift from the god increases by a bonus of +4.

Major Centers of Worship: At the bottom of the Great Rift, guarding the entrance to the Deep Lands, are the Gates, a pair of titanic metal doors that bar the entrance of outsiders from the Guardcavern immediately behind them, the great city of Underhome, and the Deep Realm of the gold dwarves beyond. Over fifty priests of Gorm garrison the Gates at all times, with two hundred more available at a moment's notice. The Keepers of the Gate are based in Araubarak Gulthyn, the Great Shieldhall of Eternal Vigilance, a soaring subterranean vault adjoining the great Guardcavern in which dwarven caravans muster for trips to the surface Realms. The task of securing the entrance to the last great dwarven kingdom in Faerun is led by Prince Protector of the Golden Realm Starag Crownshield, son of Vorn, blood of Pyradar. The Great Shieldhall is itself an invulnerable fortress whose defenses have never been breached. Twin adult sapphire dragons lair in the Great Shieldhall's narthex under the direction of specially trained dwarven riders. A series of nine double doors, each a miniature replica of the great hizagkuur Gates, bar entrance to the temple's innermost sanctum. A pair of hammer golems and seven priests of Gorm defend each set of portals. The chancel doubles as a well-stocked armory, and from its stores an army of five thousand dwarven warriors can be - and has been, on several occasions in centuries past - outfitted to sally forth against great armies seeking to plunder the wealth of the gold dwarves. Above the altar floats the greatest relic of the Gormite faith, a massive bronze mask with eyeholes alight with fire, known as the Face of the Guardian. Aspirants in the Deep Realm seeking to join the ranks of Gorm's guardians stand before the Face during their initiations and are seared by twin beams of fire that erupt from the ever-dancing flames. If accepted by the Golden Guardian, they emerge unscathed, hut those found wanting are reduced to piles of ash.

Affiliated Orders: Numerous knightly orders large and small have been founded in Gorm's name and affiliated with his church over the centuries. Numbered among the legendary Gormite orders of times past and present are the Twin-Bladed Axes of Fire, the Silent Sentinels, the Guardian-Knights of Gorm, the Vigilant Halberdiers, the Company of the Scarlet Moon, the Fellowship of the Stern Gauntlet, and the Order of the Smoking Shield. One of the oldest and most revered knightly orders of Gorm, the Sacred Shields of Berronar's Blessed, may be found in nearly every clanhold and kingdom guarding nurseries full of dwarven children and their parents. Knights of the Sacred Shield are also charged with recovering kidnapped dwarven youths who are to be sold as slaves on the surface or in the Underdark. At least two dwarven clans owe their continued free existence to the rescue of an entire generation of dwarven youth from the clutches of the Spider Queen's priests by the Knights of the Sacred Shield.

Priestly Vestments: The clergy of Gorm favor red and black cloaks and helms, worn over armor of the finest metal and type available. The holy symbol of the faith is a miniature bronze shield that is usually worn around the neck on a burnished steel chain as a medallion.

Adventuring Garb: When adventuring or on guard duty, Gorm's priests always wear and wield the best armor and weapons available. Members of Gorm's clergy never remove all their armor or lay aside all their weapons unless sorely wounded or in need of care. Members of the Vigilant Host often mark their status with red and black armbands on the left and right arms, respectively.

Haela Brightaxe (HUH-ae-la BRITE-ax) is the patron of dwarves who love the fray, who wander the surface lands (especially in the North), who face unknown dangers, and who battle monsters. Although dwarves of all alignments venerate the Lady of the Fray, those Stout Folk of chaotic or neutral good alignment who love battle or exhibit berserker tendencies tend to actively embrace the worship of the Luckmaiden.

Haela dwells in a simple cave in the Beastlands, but she bothers none of the animals that dwell there, keeping to herself, hidden by everpresent mists in the depths of a forest. Findar Endar, as the grotto is known, is protected by her Guardians. Rarely at home, the Luckmaiden is usually to be found in wildspace or on a world such as Toril, wherever dwarves are enjoying battle but in need of aid.

Haela is well known among dwarves for her ready laugh, her booming voice, and her ever-cheerful nature. The Luckmaiden is charming, resourceful, and delivers gallows witticisms with a broad grin.

Although she recognizes no superior save Moradin, Haela is the only widely recognized dwarven demipower active in the Realms today, and as such, the Luckmaiden is ever-mindful of the wishes of the more established and more powerful members of the Morndinsamman. As a goddess of dwarven warriors, particularly those who travel far afield, Haela's portfolio overlaps with that of the Marthammor Duin, and she works closely with the Finder-of-Trails. Likewise, the Lady of the Fray maintains good relations with Clangeddin Silverbeard, the Father of Battles, into whose sphere of influence she also crosses.

Other Manifestations

Haela manifests only rarely, preferring to appear directly instead. When she does manifest, it is either in cases where she will not be otherwise needed or to help dwarves hold on until she can arrive later to help.

Haela's manifestations always involve an aura of silvery flames, shot through with blue-white and amber sparks.

Haela is served primarily by the spirits of fallen dwarven warriors who become her Guardians (einheriar), but on occasion other creatures of the Upper Planes, including aasimon (particularly agathinon), asuras, bariaurs, courage incarnates, hollyphants, quesar, and warden beasts act on her behalf. She manifests her pleasure with the discovery of bloodstones, carnelians, jacinths, jargoons, red-hued jaspers, red-hued orls, red tears, crimson-hued rubies, red spinels, and red-hued ziose stones. She manifests her displeasure when such gems dissolve into tiny puddles of blood when touched.

The Church

Before the Time of Troubles, the priesthood of Haela was all female; since then, some males have joined the clergy.

Haela is well regarded by shield dwarves, particularly wanderers, and her cult is slowly growing among the younger gold dwarves of the South. The Luckmaiden is well known and well regarded among nondwarven adventurers of the North through the near-legendary deeds of her followers, but she is commonly seen as nothing more than a dwarven god of berserkers-akin to bloodthirsty Garagos-by the more sedentary inhabitants of human and elven cities.

Temples of Haela are caves or underground rooms, sometimes in old abandoned holds or the cellars of human ruins. They are typically storehouses of food, small smithies, and armories crammed with odd weapons and armor, and are never guarded by less than a dozen priests (more often, 16 to 20 are in residence). There is always a highly destructive trap set somewhere in such a temple: If the dwarves are slain or forced out, no enemy of the dwarves will get the store of weapons without taking heavy losses. One famous temple of Haela, overrun by ores near Amphail, proved to have a trap of six separate blade barriers that came into being one after another and used the cached weapons of the temple as the whirling weapons.

Novices of Haela, like novices of Clangeddin, are known as the Unblooded. Full priests are known as Blades of the Brightaxe. In ascending order of rank, the titles used by Haelan priests are First Blood, Deadly Dirk, Stout Spear, Sharp Axe, Shining Sword, Flamebolt, and Brightaxe. High Old Ones have individual titles but are collectively known as the Hallowed Crimson. Specialty priests are known as luckmaidens. The clergy of Haela includes shield dwarves (70%), gold dwarves (28%), and gray dwarves (2%). Haela's clergy is evenly divided between specialty priests (34%), clerics (33%), and crusaders (33%). Fully one-half of the specialty priests and clerics are fighter/specialty priests and fighter/clerics, respectively. The gen- der mix of Haela's clergy is about 85% female and 15% male, though only females can be luckmaidens.

Dogma: Through battle there is validation, liberation, and exultation. Trust in Haela to see you through the fray, and the monsters of the world shall fall to the sharp blades of your axes, regardless of their apparent strength and numbers. The Luckmaiden blesses those dwarves who believe in her beneficence, and she, through her faithful, will always be there for the beleaguered and the besieged. Rejoice the power of your swing in battle, the sound of your weapon smiting a worthy foe, and the challenge of the fray. If asked, show mercy on a noble foe who abides by a code of honor, but hold not your hand against the treacherous, the liars, and the honorless.

Day-to-Day Activities: Priests of Haela wander throughout the Realms, aiding dwarves in battle. They wander because no priest knows where or when she or he will be needed-each relies upon Haela's guiding hand to position him or her as necessary. Blades of the Brightaxe aid beleaguered dwarves (and known allies and companions of dwarves) against creatures of all sorts by healing, casting spells, and fighting alongside them. Their objectives are to achieve victory for the dwarven side and to allow the maximum possible number of dwarves to survive. The priests wish also to make all dwarves comfortable with their own skills in combat-to Haela's worshipers, battle-skills are needed to guide the hands of all dwarves if the Stout Folk are to survive.

Priests of Haela are always heavily armed and are often skilled at weapon and armor repair. They freely give away the weapons they carry to dwarves in need but always keep at least one weapon for themselves, although it may be well hidden. They practice throwing weapons in a variety of ways, such as onto ledges, to cut ropes, and to land upright, points buried in the turf, beside those needing them.

The senior priests of Haela teach their juniors much concerning tactics, secrets, and hints for fighting specific monsters, and knowledge of their habits, lairs, and weaknesses. All individuals or groups aided by a priest of Haela are expected to pay for the aid with a spare weapon that the priest can give to some other needy band. Failing that, a shield, pair of gauntlets, or other armor or useful gear can be substituted. It is considered bad form to give the priest back a weapon she or he just gave you.

Holy Days/Important Ceremonies: The followers of the Luck maiden celebrate three holy days of note. The first such day of the year, celebrated annually on Greengrass, is known as the Time of the Spawning. On this day Haela's clergy prepare for the next wave of ores and other monsters to pour forth from the occupied holds of long-fallen dwarves to threaten the remaining Stout Folk once again. The Time of Spawning is marked by grim ceremonies of preparation for the coming onslaught and includes endless choruses of battle hymns, rhythmic chanting to the beat of endless drumming, and the ritual shattering of weapons and armor seized from previous opponents.

The second major holy day of the Haelan faith is known as the Axe Held High, a day that glorifies the valor of the Lady of the Fray and her role in defending the Stout Folk against their ancient foes. On this day of joyous celebration, ceremonies are held at midday, outdoors in the full embrace of the sun. The followers of the Luckmaiden hold that an unsheathed sword appears momentarily in the center of the solar orb at high noon.

While no other faith has ever reported such an apparition, every member of the Blades of the Brightaxe in good standing with Haela who participates in the proscribed rituals receives the benefits other enveloping aura (see Other Manifestations above) for the next twenty-four hours.

Finally, the Feast of the Moon is celebrated by the followers of Haela as the Commemoration of the Fallen. On this day, those dwarves and nondwarves alike who fell in the defense of the Stout Folk while battling monstrous opponents are remembered by the recounting of their battles and the consecration of new armor and weapons in their memory.

On all such holy days, Haela's devout followers are expected to offer several drops of their own blood (one per level of the follower) as well as the blood of enemies of the dwarves they have defeated since the previous holy day (one drop of blood per foe, and one foe per level of the follower).

Major Centers of Worship: Endar Aglandtor, the Sword Grotto, is an abbey of the Luckmaiden hidden in a series of dwarf-dug caverns hewn from the base of a granite uprising known as the Tor of Swords. Located north-northwest of the Hill of Lost Souls, the Tor of Swords stands just east of the most northerly of the easternmost loops that the ever-twisting Winding Water makes. The hill once marked the northernmost border of the Helbryn, the great hunting preserve of the longfallen dwarven kingdom of Oghrann. Today the Tor of Swords serves as the chapter house of Haela's Host (see below) under the able leadership of Blade of the Crimson Axe Aglaya Rockfist, daul of Rorrina, blood of Helmma. From their isolated redoubt, the priests of the militant order keep watch over the Hill of Lost Souls, the Battle of Bones, and other unnamed battlefields in the region where dwarven warriors fell long ago. The clerics, crusaders, and specialty priests of Haela's Host clash frequently with the monsters of the Serpent Hills, the Marsh of Chelimber, and the Forest of Wyrms, and they are very effective in keeping monstrous population of the region in check. The Tor of Swords is named for the quintet of sentient magical swords said to have been entombed within the hill before the erection of the Standing Stone. Since most tales confuse the Tor of Swords with the nearby Dungeon of Swords, located to the northwest in the Serpent Hills, few adventuring bands have ever explored the isolated knoll, and none have found the legendary blades. Assuming the sentient swords are more than myth, it is likely they are now wielded by the ablest swordswomen of Haela's Host.

Torstultok, the Hall of Grand Hunts, is a temple-fortress of Haela well known among the Stout Folk of the North for the numerous all-dwarven and mixed-race adventuring companies it sponsors to reclaim long-lost dwarven relics from ore-held halls. Torstultok is located in the Forlorn Hills, a region best known for its two most famous ruins: the Crumbling Stair and the House of Stone. The temple is located in a sprawling complex of tunnels and grand halls beneath the eastern end of the Watchers of the North, the line of hills that mark the northern edge of the Forlorn Hills. Torstultok was known as Firehammer Hold before the Fallen Kingdom fell, and much treasure is still ascribed to the latter name in the tales of the North. Although those same tales claim that the dwarves of Firehammer Hold perished in a plague that ravaged the hold shortly after the founding of the Kingdom of Man, in truth, the dwarves' numbers dwindled over time, and the leaders of the hold staged the evidence of a deadly plague in order to increase the security of those dwarves who remained.

An unexpected consequence of this action was the arrival in subsequent centuries of treasure-hungry adventurers seeking long-lost dwarven hordes of gold. To assuage the anger of such would-be-plunderers, the dwarves began a practice of hiring such wanderers to seek out other dwarven holds that they knew to be occupied by ores. From this tradition evolved the hold's current role as a clearinghouse for battle-loving dwarves and adventurers of other races seeking glory amidst the ruins of long-fallen dwarven kingdoms. Haela's clergy have even begun to lure adventurers to the temple by means of ancientlooking, incomplete maps and other enticing lures. One such example may be found on the walls of a not-so-secret hidden room in the Singing Sprite, a slate-shingled, many-gabled stone inn located in the bowl between the three hills that the village of Secomber is built upon.

Affiliated Orders; Numerous religious and military orders have been founded by the followers of the Luckmaiden in past centuries, but few ever survive longer than a generation or two. Some of the most famous orders in existence today include Haela's Host (see above), the Dauls of the Luckmaiden, the Shining Host of the Underdeeps, the Dancing Damsels of the Brightaxe, and the hippogriff-mounted Skyriders of Aglandar (as the Great Rift is known in dwarvish). Most orders are known for the valor and daring of their members, and such bands typically focus their efforts on reducing the population of evil monsters in the region in which they are based.

Priestly Vestments: Haela's clergy favor either armor or plain steel-gray rotes, with an overcloak of scarlet and crimson footwear, as ceremonial vestments. An open-faced helm is always worn. The holy symbol of the faith is a steel medallion embossed with Haela's symbol.

Adventuring Garb: When adventuring, the Luckmaiden's clergy garb themselves in the best armor available-chain mail is preferred-and always seek to wield weapons of the finest quality. Helms are always worn, but they need not be open-faced. In honor of an ancient custom, priests of Haela are forever toting large sacks of caltrops around, hoping to get a chance to use them. (About 35 to 75 caltrops can fit in a large sack, depending on the size of the caltrops and the sack. Caltrops are covered in the Arms and Equipment Guide.) As Ardeep crumbled and the Fallen Kingdom splintered centuries ago, Haela's priests, along with many others, fought valiantly, if ultimately futilely, to preserve what remained of the Realm of Three Crowns along the banks of the River Delimbiyr. At that time, numerous halfling farmers made their homes in the verdant farmland surrounding Secomber under the protective aegis of the allied priests of Haela based in the nearby Firehammer Hold. In thanks for the vigilant axes of the Luckmaiden's clergy and the ready supply of weapons they shared, the Little Folk continually repaid Haela's valiant priests with bags of caltrops-typically three at a time. This practice is now both a joke and an affectionate tradition for both groups.

Marthammor Duin (Mar-THAM-more DOO-ihn), known on other worlds as Muamman Duathal (Moo-AM-man Doo-AHthuhl), is the protector of dwarves who make their lives in human society in the North, rather than keeping to mountain or deep-delve enclaves. Commonly known as Wanderers, all such dwarves make offerings to him in appeasement for good fortune. Marthammor is the patron of adventurers and explorers and all those dwarves who travel or live far from the dwarven homelands, allowing them to find routes to escape or to victory in their travels. He also watches over dwarven craftsfolk of any good alignment, keeping their homes and persons safe. His secondary aspect as god of lightning is unique among dwarves. The Finder-of-Trails is a growing cult in the North, and he may be evolving into an intermediate power.

Marthammor is seldom at home in his Cavern of Rest, which is guarded by the souls of those dwarves who perished while traveling aboveground and by boars and war dogs trained by the god himself. The Cavern lies in the ever-shifting underways of Nidavellir, third layer of Ysgard. Marthammor spends most of his time wandering the northern reaches of Faerun in his avatar form. Marthammor sometimes sends his avatar to act as a guide or to warn urban dwarves of trouble brewing in their homelands. More often, he sends omens in the form of lightning, subsidence on trails, sudden rockfalls, or priestly divination through stone-flinging (the pattern of a fist is a common sign).

Marthammor is almost gnomelike in his approach to life; he's open and friendly, and he's definitely curious what lies over the next horizon. He has a keen interest in the doings of the multiverse as a whole, and he is far less xenophobic than most dwarves or their deities.

Marthammor is one of the youngest powers of the Morndinsamman, and as such the other members tolerate what they call his antics. Moradin hopes Marthammor will settle down in a few millennia and gives thanks, at least, that he is not as chaotic as Dugmaren Brightmantle. Marthammor is on good terms with Dugmaren, as the theme of traveling to gain knowledge is a shared concern of these gods, and the Finder-of-Trails is welcome in Dugmaren's Soot Hall. While he hates all goblinkin and evil giant gods, Marthammor harbors a particular loathing for Grolantor.

Other Manifestations

The Finder-of-Trails almost always manifests himself in one of four ways helpful to dwarves and to their companions and friends.

In the wilds, Marthammor indicates to troubled dwarves the safest or best way to proceed by appearing as a glowing upright mace, floating in midair. His image is a bright, blue-white translucent mace that has no tangible existence, but which is not destroyed by being passed through. It is unaffected by dispel magic or other magical attacks and effects. The Mace of Marthammor gives enough light to read by and floats along in front of dwarves, patiently guiding them along a route. In situations where precipices, pit-traps, or other dangers lurk, or when a wrong choice of route has been made, Marthammor manifests as a glowing, blue-white, disembodied hand. The hand will signal "stop" by appearing fingers together and palm open in warning; it then points back or in other directions to outline traps or to indicate a better way. The hand can even trace clan symbols or dwarven runes to establish its identity or to communicate messages.

In the homes of dwarves, Marthammor manifests as a mace of pulsing light that strikes unseen surfaces in midair to make a ringing, crashing sound audible only to dwarves. This alarm warns of thieves or other intruders and strikes one blow against an intruder (normal footman's mace damage, automatic hit) before vanishing. Such a blow is typically delivered at a key moment, in other words, against a first intruder readying a rope ladder for others or to disrupt spellcasting or missile fire directed at the residents Marthammor is protecting.

In cases of imminent invasion or other natural disaster that dwarven residents cannot hope to defeat, Marthammor can appear in the dreams of dwarves to warn them to move away in haste. If no dwarf is asleep, Marthammor manifests as a glowing magic mouth floating above the image of his symbol, and warns the residents directly. Any wizard who attempts to duplicate Marthammor's magic mouth symbol invites an immediate personal attack by the god.

If such an impostor has a trap planned for the god, Marthammor senses it and bring several other dwarven deitiessuch as his friends Clanggedin and Gorm-with him. Marthammor is served by bariaurs, blink dogs, galeb duhr, hawks, hunting dogs, firestars, owls, phoenixes, pseudodragons, and storm giants. He occasionally rewards dwarves with the courage to emerge from their isolated communities with precious stones polished by mountain streams that flow down to human communities. He shows his disfavor by causing folk to get lost or through the whining and growling of animals (especially dogs) that only those in disfavor can seem to hear.

The Church

Marthammor's priesthood broke with the dwarven tradition of having priests be the same gender as their deity long before the Time of Troubles, so Marthammor's clergy today is approximately 19% female, a very progressive figure for the dwarven pantheon.

Marthammor is well regarded by wanderers, shield dwarves who seek the company of humans in their towns and cities. The Watcher's advocacy of racial integration, exploration, and adventure is little understood by the hidden, shield dwarves who remain cloistered in isolated dwarven holds deep in the northern mountains, but they evince only incomprehension, not antipathy, toward the Finder-of-Trails and his priests. Dwarves of other races have little awareness of the faith of the Watcher over Wanderers.

Marthammor is worshiped on the bare heights of stony tors on moonless nights, or on holy days and for important rituals, in underground caverns. The caverns must always be natural, unaltered by the hands of intelligent beings. Underground or on tor-top, an altar to Marthammor is always a simple stone cairn or wooden tripod, supporting a stone hammer, head uppermost. Priests of Marthammor stand looking at the hammer, praying to their god for guidance as to where they are needed and what they have done wrong or poorly. The god places visions in their minds, choosing which priests will guard temples, which explore particular areas, and so on. Temples of the Finder-of-Trails are scattered across the northlands, typically in the foothills midway between the traditional mountain territories of the dwarves and the human cities of the plains.

Novices of Marthammor are known as the Lost. Full priests are known as Watchful Eyes. In ascending order of rank, the titles used by Marthammoran priests are Sun Seeker, Far Wanderer, Trail Finder, Vigilant Guardian, Stalwart Protector, and Valiant Hammer. High Old Ones have unique individual titles. Specialty priests are known as trailblazers. The clergy of Marthammor includes shield dwarves (96%), gold dwarves (2%), gray dwarves (1%), and wild dwarves (1%). The dramatic shift in composition by the clergies of most human deities of the Faerunian pantheon toward increased numbers of specialty priests has been enthusiastically embraced by the Watcher. As a result, Marthammor's clergy is now composed primarily of specialty priests (85%), with the remainder even split between clerics (5%), fighter/clerics (5%), and crusaders (5%). The majority of Marthammor's priests are male (81%), but the number of female priests is growing rapidly.

Dogma; If the Children of Moradin are to survive as a race, they must adapt, grow, and learn to dwell in harmony with other good races, particularly humans. The Stout Folk must be encouraged to emerge from the illusory safety of their hidden delves and find true security in fellowship with humankind and demihumankind. Help fellow wanders and sojourners in the world, giving all that is needful. Guide those who are lost and guard those who are defenseless. Seek out new ways and new paths, and discover the wide world in your wanderings. Herald the way of newfound hope.

Day-to-Day Activities: Priests of Marthammor make marked trails in the wilderness northlands of the Realms, from Uttersea to the Great Ice Sea. They also establish way-caches of food and supplies (spare boots, clothing, weapons, drinking-water, bandages and splints, firemaking supplies, and the like) along these trails.

Priests of Marthammor patrol these ways, healing and guiding dwarves they meet, providing a warm fire, a hot meal, and friendly companionship to exhausted, lonely, lost or hurt dwarves-of any faith or race.

Priests of Marthammor work with healers and priests of all races to help dwarves, allies, and companions of dwarves. While they do not accompany adventurers, they are in a sense adventurers themselves, often fighting monsters, discovering ruins, and facing the same perils that adventurers do. Travelers in the North-especially the northern Sword Coast region- often encounter small bands of dwarven priests of Marthammor. Such bands do not reveal their clerical status unless they are dealing with dwarves or known dwarven allies or companions. The ghosts of diligent servants of Marthammor are said to haunt certain trails, old abandoned delves, and mountain passes. When dwarves or dwarven allies or companions are lost in such places, particularly in blizzards or storms, the phantom priests appear, gesturing silently, and guide the travelers along a safe route to refuge or their destination.

Holy Days/Important Ceremonies: Followers of Marthammor celebrate numerous holy days during the year. Each festival day in the Calendar of Harptos and nine days after each festival day is considered holy to Marthammor. In years when Shieldmeet occurs, the holy day follows it nine days later; there are not two adjacent days, one following Midsummer and one Shieldmeet. On most holy days, and at least once a year for each worshiper, followers of the Finder-of-Trails must burn used ironwork and dwarf-made footwear in homage to the Watcher.

Midwinter and the ninth of Alturiak are known to the faithful as the Rooting and the Rebirth respectively. The former holy day celebrates the reforging ties to the mountain homelands, and the latter celebrates the reemergence of dwarven wanderers from their mountain fastnesses. Greengrass and the ninth of Mirtul are known to the faithful as the Wind and the Wayfaring respectively. The former celebrates new discoveries and the latter celebrates extended sojourns in the homelands of other races.

Midsummer and the ninth of Eleasias are known to the faithful as the Hammer and the Anvil. These holy days celebrate dwarven craftsmanship and creativity. Shieldmeet is celebrated as the Shepherding, a day when dwarven wanderers are expected to introduce the hidden to their human and demihuman neighbors.

Highharvestide and the ninth of Leafall are celebrated as the Thunderbolt and the Fulmination. On these days followers of the Finder-of-Trails pray for guidance in any upcoming battles of the Stout Folk.

Finally, The Feast of the Moon and the ninth of Nightal are celebrated as the Beacon and the Runestone respectively. These holy days celebrate the path revealed by Marthammor and the knowledge learned by interacting with other cultures.

Major Centers of Worship: In the Year of the Crown (1351 DR), nearly fifty priests of the Finder-of-Trails established the Vault of the Lost Wayfarer in a great natural cavern at the heart of Berun's Hill that had once been the crypt of Maegar, son of Relavir, grandson of Anarok, of the Royal House of the Helm of Gharraghaur. The existence of a dwarven tomb beneath the tor has long been the talk of legends in the North, but the Marthammoran priests who finally found the cavernous vault discovered that it had been plundered long ago by duergar who had tunneled up from below. Berun's Hill and Twilight Tor- Mrinolor and Anaurdahyn in the tongue of the dwarves-are the southernmost and northernmost tors respectively, of the Starmetal Hills, a range of knolls that runs parallel to the Long Road west of Longsaddle and has been the target of several meteor showers in recent millennia. Berun's Hill and, to a lesser extent, Twilight Tor command a splendid view of the Dessarin valley to the north and east, and both hilltops have long been employed by the followers of Marthammor both to worship the Watcher Over Wanderers on moonless nights and to observe passing travelers and caravans on the Long Road. Under the leadership of Immar Mistwalker, High Old One of Marthammor, son of Gadlyn, blood of Dorn, the Watchful Eyes have gradually extended their aegis over a region stretching from Wyvern Tor in the foothills of the Sword Mountains to Twilight Tor and from the town of Triboar to the Neverwinter Woods. Thanks to the regular patrols and ready assistance of the Watchful Eyes, small dwarven holds in the area have been able to reestablish long-sundered trade links with the neighboring human communities along the Long Road and the River Dessarin.

The Hospice of Deadsnows is a dual-faith religious stronghold located on the northern slopes of Mount Sabras in the Nether Mountains along the Fork Road, approximately halfway between Sundabar and the Fork. The fortified abbey was once the keep of a human lord whose dream of establishing a kingdom here was shattered by relentless ore attacks. Deadsnows is named for the battle that killed its lord, a winter skirmish that left ore and human bodies strewn over several miles of snowcovered ground. Deadsnows is now home to 450 dwarves dedicated to Marthammor Finder-of-Trails who dwell in harmony with 30 priests of Lathander. The humans serve Lathander in the promotion of growth and beginnings. To this end, they have a walled garden and shop for experimentation that is crammed with odd pieces of apparatus and failed experiments. The walls of Deadsnows are studded with watchtowers and covered with climbing roses inside and on top. The priests of Lathander tend the flowers and they help to provide cover for the defenders looking over the top of the wall. The dwarves serve

Marthammor by providing a safe redoubt for isolated dwarven holds in the region and by maintaining contact between them and the emerging nation of Luruar. Under the leadership of Kerrilla Gemstar, a founding member of the Council of 12 Peers of Luruar, the dwarven followers of Marthammor worship in a natural cavern beneath a tor rising at the center of the walled community. In troubled times, everyone retreats to the cavern and the entrances are walled off. The cavern has two secret paths into the Underdark, but traps to keep drow and other creatures from ascending into the dwarven halls guard them. In keeping with the dictates of their respective deities, the folk of Deadsnows make any travelers other than armed ores and evil beings welcome at an inn called the Rose and Hammer, located in the abbey forecourt. The hospice provides desperate travelers refuge from winter weather and ores. The priests of Marthammor and Lathander heal visitors in exchange for service, typically time on a fighting patrol scouring the mountain slopes near Deadsnows. Patrols drive out trolls, ores, and predators attracted to the sheep and ponies kept in two high, fenced meadows.

Affiliated Orders; While Marthammor's clergy regularly assists adventuring dwarves, few priests actually become adventurers. The Knights of the North Star are a widely dispersed order of Marthammoran priests who individually join adventuring companies based in the North composed primarily of humans and demihumans of other races. Members of the order seek to learn more of their companions' cultures, so as to ease the integration of Wanderer dwarves into other societies, and to direct the efforts of such adventuring companies toward activities consistent with the goals of dwarves in general. At least once per year each knight must deliver an oral or written report to the most convenient Marthammoran enclave.

Priestly Vestments: Priests of Marthammor garb themselves in gray robes and maroon overtunics emblazoned on both the front and back with a Watchful Eye beneath the symbol of Marthammor. The holy symbol of the faith is a miniature electrum hammer.

Adventuring Garb: Priests of Marthammor favor cloaks of gray or mottled green, brown, and gray over any sort of armor, including a helm if desired. While Watchful Eyes may employ any sort of bludgeoning weapon, they prefer hammers and staves, both weapons associated with the Finder. Glowstones are much prized the Marthammoran clergy, and it is not unusual for the Finder-of-Trail's priests to possess one or two.

Moradin (MOAR-uh-din) is the creator god of the dwarven race and leader of the Morndinsamman. He is said to have created all dwarves, forging them from metals and gems in the fires that lie at the "heart of the world," and breathing life-the first dwarven souls-into the cooling forms. All dwarves appease Moradin, even if they do not wholeheartedly support him. Lawful good dwarves support and work openly to serve the Soul Forger, even if they also worship another deity. His name is invoked by dwarves involved in smithwork or craftsmanship of any sort, and they give him homage by doing their best work and seeking to emulate his stonework and craftsmanship. Moradin is said to inspire dwarven inventions and seeks constantly to improve the race-increasing dwarven good nature, intelligence, and ability to exist in harmony with other living things. At the same time, he battles the pride and isolationist tendencies that occur naturally in his elite creations.

Moradin is held by many dwarven creation myths to have been incarnated from rock, stone, and metal, with his soul eternally present in the form of fire. That same fire fueled the forge in which Moradin created the Stout Folk and, in some myths, Moradin breathes fire over the first dwarves to bring them to life.

The Soul Forger rules the other dwarven deities sternly, and only his wife, Berronar Truesilver, can regularly bring a smile to his face. In some dwarven realms, the Soul Forger is said to be the father of Dumathoin, Abbathor, Laduguer, Clangeddin, Sharindlar, Diirinka, Vergadain, Thard Harr, Gorm Gulthyn, Marthammor Duin, and Dugmaren Brightmantle, but the exact relationships and ordering vary from culture to culture. It is the All-Father who banished Deep Duerra, Laduguer, Diirinka, Diinkarazan, and their followers, smiting them with his hammer and driving them forth. If Abbathor is ever banished, it will be at the Soul Forger's command. Moradin loathes Gruumsh, Maglubiyet, and the other goblinkin deities (those of the ores, goblins, hobgoblins, bugbears, kobolds, and urds), and he detests the evil giant deities as well. His gruff and uncompromising nature wins him few friends outside the dwarven pantheon, but he is said to be close with Cyrrollalee, Garl Glittergold, Flandal Steelskin, Gond, Helm, Kossuth, Tyr, and Torm, and enjoys a strategic alliance with Yondalla and Corellon Larethian. Moradin has little patience for the elven powers, but he has worked effectively with them in the past when it was necessary.

Moradin is a stern and uncompromising defender of the dwarven people and of the principles of law and good. Moradin is a harsh but fair judge. He judges dwarves on their achievements and the success of their endeavors, not just on their good hearts. The Soul Forger is strength and force of will embodied; his weapons, armor, and tools are virtual extensions of his own incarnate being. Moradin seldom appears in the Realms, preferring to work through manifestations rather than avatars. His usual reason for intervention in either form is to encourage dwarves to follow the correct path or make the best decision at a critical time. He also intervenes to aid or inspire dwarves who may serve the race in the future, or to aid or encourage nondwarves who aid the dwarves.

Other Manifestations

Moradin commonly manifests as a white radiance. This envelops either a being or an object. An enveloped being (nearly always a dwarf) is temporarily imbued by Moradin with one of his avatar spell abilities. An enveloped object (a war hammer, if available) is animated by Moradin's will, and may serve as a weapon, as a battering ram (to free imprisoned Folk or to reveal a hidden way), or as a guide (floating along to show a route).

Moradin is served by aasimon, archons, aurumvorae, azer, baku, einheriar, elementals of all varieties, fire beetles, galeb duhr, gold dragons, guardian naga, hammer golems, hollyphants, incarnates of faith, living steel, maruts, noctrals, per, sapphire dragons, shedu, silver dragons, urdunnirin, and xavers. The Soul Forger demonstrates his favor through the revelation of rare metals, by the appearance of his symbol on an anvil after a hammer blow or on an item after it is removed from the forge, or by a nimbus of fire that envelops (without burning) an item of great workmanship immediately after it is completed. The Soul Forger indicates his displeasure by the sudden breaking of an item in its Grafting (usually a weapon), by suddenly extinguishing a forge fire, or by causing an anvil to shatter into hundreds of pieces when struck.

The Church

Until the Time of Troubles, Moradin's priests were all male. Since then, females have begun entering the priesthood at a fairly rapid rate.

Moradin and his mortal servants are very highly regarded in dwarven society, and his priests often serve as leaders in dwarven communities. Dwarven daily life is consumed with mining, smithcraft, engineering, and creative endeavors, and the Soul Forger's assistance is frequently acknowledged by most dwarven artisans. The only criticism of the Soul Forger's clergy, as expressed by younger dwarves who prefer the teachings of Dugmaren, Haela, and Marthammor, is that Moradin's Forgesmiths are too set in their traditional ways and too slow to adapt to the changing world around them. Among the other human and demihuman races, Moradin's priests are perceived as prototypical dwarves and as the mortal manifestations of their god, and how this is interpreted depends on the viewer's general perception of and regard for dwarves.

Temples of Moradin are located underground and carved out of solid rock. They are never set in natural caverns. Moradin's temples usually resemble vast smithies dominated by one or more grand halls of hardworking dwarven craftsmen. Hammers and anvils, the signs of the god, are the dominant decorative themes, as are statues of the All-Father and the other gods of the dwarven pantheon. The center of the Soul Forger's shrine or temple is a great ever-burning hearth and a forge of the finest equipage. Should the fire be extinguished (something the Soul Forger's priests will go to any length to prevent), the temple is abandoned or torn down stone by stone. Usually another temple is built on a new site, but occasionally a temple is entirely rebuilt and reconsecrated.

Novices of Moradin are known as the Unworked. Full priests of the Soul Forger are known as Forgesmiths and as the Tempered. In ascending order of rank, the titles used by Moradite priests are Adept of the Anvil, Hammer of War, Artisan of the Forge, Craftsman of Runes, Artificer of Discoveries, and Smith of Souls. High Old Ones have unique individual titles but are collectively known as the High Forgesmiths. Specialty priests are known as sonnlinor, a dwarvish word that can be loosely translated as those who work stone. The clergy of Moradin includes gold dwarves (50%), shield dwarves (48%), jungle dwarves (1%), and even gray dwarves (1%). Moradin's clergy is nearly evenly divided between specialty priests (47%) and clerics (43%), and includes a handful of crusaders (5%) and fighter/clerics (5%). Most priests of Moradin are male (94%).

Dogma: The Soul Forger is the father and creator of the dwarven race. By seeking to emulate both his principles and his workmanship in smithcraft, stoneworking, and other tasks, the Children of Moradin honor the All-Father. Wisdom is derived from life tempered with experience. Advance the dwarven race in all areas of life. Innovate with new processes and skills, and test and work them until they are refined and pure. Found new kingdoms and clan lands, defending those that already exist from internal and external threats. Lead the Stout Folk in the traditional ways laid down by the Soul Forger. Honor your clan leaders as you honor Moradin.

Day-to-Day Activities: Priests of Moradin strive to restore the dwarven races to strong numbers and a position of influence in Faerun, by founding new dwarven kingdoms and increasing the status of dwarves within the wider human-dominated society prevalent in the Realms today. They preside over a wide range of formal ceremonies (consecrations of forges, temples, and other buildings, crowning of monarchs, etc.) and the education of the young, especially in the teaching of history. They maintain genealogies and historical archives, cooperating with Berronar's priests. Adventuring is encouraged in the priesthood, but only adventuring that directly serves the interests of the dwarven race.

Holy Days/Important Ceremonies: Those who worship the Soul Forger gather monthly around the forge to celebrate the All-Father and to make offerings. In some dwarven cultures, Moradin is worshiped at the time of the full moon, while in others the Soul Forger is venerated beneath the crescent moon. In addition, any High Forgesmith can declare a holy day at any time and often does so as a way of celebrating a local event. Offerings of common or precious metals-especially those already worked by dwarven hands into items of beauty or practical use, such as tools or ornamented hardware-are made on the monthly holy days. Sacrifices of common or precious metals are melted down at the forge and reformed into shapes usable by the clergy. Rituals are performed while making such offerings, which involve chanting, kneeling, and reaching barehanded into the flames of the forge (Moradin prevents harm to the truly faithful) to handle red- and white-hot objects directly.

Priests entering a temple of Moradin bow to the forge and surrender any weapons (in times of peace). Priests of Moradin strike the anvil standing by the entry once with their hammers before surrendering them to faithful dwarven warriors. At least seven warriors are usual at any shrine, but four will always be there. Priests of another faith, without permission of a High Old One or the avatar of Moradin, cannot advance beyond the wall of fire, a knee-high, permanent magical effect surrounding the central forge. Priests of Moradin engage in humble, verbal prayer and in open, earnest discussion of current dwarven problems and issues, more so than any other priesthood. Such discussion is considered to be between equals (even if nondwarves participate), save that the ranking priest of Moradin has the sole authority to open and close discussion on a particular topic.

Worship usually ends with a rising, quickening chant in unison of: "The dwarves shall prevail, the dwarves shall endure, the dwarves shall grow!" This is repeated, ever more loudly, until the plain, massive, battered smith's hammer on the largest anvil of the forge rises from the anvil of its own volition (moved by the power of the listening god). It may (or may not) move about or glow to denote the god's will, marked pleasure, or agreement. It descends gently to the anvil, though it comes to rest with a thunderous ring, as if brought down with all the strength of a powerful dwarf.

Major Centers of Worship: Thuulurn, the Foundry of Stout Souls, is a fortified monastic enclave of priests dedicated to Moradin, located in the heart of the Deep Realms, east of the Great Rift. Thuulurn is both a temple and a city, with over 5,600 inhabitants. The temple-city is carved from solid rock. It resembles a large dungeon like Undermountain far more than it does a surface city set in a large cavern. Huge forges burn continuously throughout the enclave, leaving the air heavy with smoke and most chambers stifling hot (at least to surface-dwellers and nondwarves). Keeping aloof from most other gold dwarves of the Deep Realms, the Forgesmiths of Thuulurn (under the able leadership of Thungalos Truetemper, First Hammer of Moradin) work continuously to influence events in the Deeps and surface lands, to the betterment of all dwarves. They have been known to hire adventurers of other races to carry out their aims. Often, a mission for the dwarves is demanded as a payment for healing badly beaten adventurers or raising one or more slain individuals. Typical missions include a strike against the duergar, freeing dwarves from drow slavery in the Depths Below, slaying an aboleth at a certain underground lake, finding and slaying the latest cloaker overlord with designs on the Deep Realm, and so on.

The temple-city is self-sufficient. Whatever it lacks is brought in from elsewhere by its priests or worshipers. Dwarven offerings have made Thuulurn very rich, but this wealth is seen only as a means to bringing about the Soul Forger's ends. Of late, tales have begun to spread that the Forgesmiths of Thuulurn have dispatched a great army of gold dwarves westward through the Underdark. Whether this tale is true or not, and where such an army might be headed, is still unknown.

In the North, the most visible monument to the Soul Forger is the Stone Bridge, a massive stone arch that spans the broadest imaginable spring flood of the River Dessarin. The Stone Bridge, built long ago to link the two halves of the ancient dwarven kingdom of Besilmer, rises in a great arc, without supporting pillars, its span two miles long and 400 feet above the water. The Bridge is built of weathered granite, six paces broad and so skillfully fitted that it seems of one piece. It has no parapet or railing on either side. Dwarves explain the awesome size and continued survival of the Bridge to the fact that it is also a temple to Moradin. Lawful good dwarves still make pilgrimages to the Bridge, said to be one of the Soul Forger's favorite spots on Faerun. On at least one occasion, Moradin's avatar appeared on the Bridge and destroyed a horde of ores harrying the remaining members of the Ironstar clan as they fled southward to valley of the River Delimbiyr.

Affiliated Orders: The Hammers of Moradin are an elite military order dominated by crusaders and fighter/clerics with chapters in nearly every dwarven stronghold and members drawn from every dwarven clan. The Hammers serve both as commanders of dwarven armies and as an elite strike force skilled in dealing with anything from large groups of ores to great wyrms to malevolent fiends from the Lower Planes. The order is dedicated to the defense of existing dwarven holdings and the carving out of new dwarven territories. Individual chapters have a great deal of local autonomy but, in times of great crisis, a Grand Council (the reigning monarchs and senior Hammers of the affected region) assemble to plot strategy and divine Moradin's will.

Priestly Vestments: Ceremonial vestments for priests of Moradin include flowing, shining robes of woven wire of electrum treated with blueshine. Other ceremonial garb includes silvered (everbright) helms, silverplated war hammers, and earth-brown leather boots. The holy symbol of the faith is a miniature electrum war hammer, treated with blueshine.

Adventuring Garb: In combat, Moradin's clergymembers favors chain mail or dwarven plate mail, a helm, and a medium or large shield. Priests of the Soul Forger are skilled in the use of the war hammer, but many favor other weapons as well, such as battles axes, broad swords, and hand axes.

Sharindlar (Sha-RIHN-dlar) the Merciful is widely known as the dwarven goddess of healing and mercy. Dwarves wounded in battle are often healed in her name. Sick dwarves, dwarven healers, midwives, physics, and lovers pray to the Lady of Life. However, her aspect kept secret from nondwarves is her most important modern role: her patronage of romantic love, courtship, and fertility. Dwarves of all alignments and races who are courting appease her, as do those who sentence others in the cause of justice. When dwarves dance, they pray to Sharindlar to guide their feet, for she is said to be the greatest dancer the dwarves have ever known.

Sharindlar is on excellent terms with most of the other members of the Morndinsamman. She has forged working relationships with those whose principles she abhors-Abbathor, Deep Duerra, and Laduguer-to facilitate her efforts for the benefit of the dwarven race. The Lady of Life has served as an emissary between Laduguer of the gray dwarves and Moradin on the rare occasions they must communicate. Sharindlar has little tolerance for hatreds or rivalries that interfere with her efforts to dispense healing and mercy to the wounded and distressed. She has made strong friendships with the deities of the korreds, and some myths claim that Shiallia, the Dancer in the Glades, is the offspring of Sharindlar's brief dalliance with Tapann.

Sharindlar is invariably warm and caring with a kind word for all, both mortal and divine. She is given to shouts of joy, impromptu dances, and gales of uncontrollable laughter. The Lady of Life is an inveterate match-maker and true romantic who seeks to conjoin star-crossed lovers no matter what the odds. More than one favored dwarven bachelor or maiden has been swept up in a series of whirlwind affairs, thanks to the unceasing efforts of the Shining Dancer to provide the perfect mate.

Other Manifestations

Sharindlar rarely appears in avatar form in the Realms, but quite often aids dwarves by manifesting as an amber or rosy radiance and warmth. If healing herbs or plant antidotes are required and exist nearby, Sharindlar illuminates them with her radiance, to mark them for searching dwarves. If a sick dwarf seeks shelter or water, Sharindlar's radiance guides them. If dwarves are cold and lack shelter, Sharindlar's warmth and light can keep them comfortable while they rest, even on glaciers or rock ledges in blizzards. Her light is bright enough for wizards to study by and for maps and books to be read.

At dances, moots, and other meetings when dwarves may be conceived, Sharindlar often attempts to sway the thoughts and actions of dwarves by her warmth and radiance. Dwarven sages still argue over whether this is purely the result of her presence, serving as a hint and sign of approval, or if she can manifest subtle aphrodisiac powers.

Sharindlar is served by dryads, (Ysgardian) dwarves of Nidavellir, einheriar, too dogs, galeb duhr, hollyphants, incarnates of hope, temperance, and wisdom, korred, lillendi, linnorm dragons, slyphs, and sunflies. She manifests her favor through the discovery of emeralds, moonstones, and round silver coins and her displeasure through the discovery of worn, mateless boots, shattered egg shells, and curdled milk.

The Church

All priests of Sharindlar were female before the Time of Troubles, but some males have joined the priesthood since then.

Sharindlar is universally well regarded by dwarves and held in high esteem by those who share her beliefs among other races. Even the most xenophobic elves and the most supercilious humans are impressed by her devotion to the downtrodden and her kind and unassuming nature, despite their deep-held prejudices. Temples to the Lady of Life are great halls, free of pillars or other architectural features. Serving as both chancels and grand ballrooms, they are well lit, often above ground or partially open to the sky, and typically hold fountains, pools, and formal gardens. The goddess's temples have numerous small guest chambers for visitors, of which there are many. Most of the Shining Dancer's temples have a small library that serves as a repository of runestones inscribed with dwarven genealogies, clan records, courting rites, descriptions of formal dances, astronomy charts, medicinal practices, herbal brews, agricultural and husbandry records, and the like.

Novices of Sharindlar are known as the Chaste. Full priests are known as Merciful Maidens/Youths. In ascending order of rank, the titles used by Sharindlaran priests are Dancing Tresses, Golden Allure, Healing Touch, Merciful Smile, Loving Heart, and Fruitful Mother/Father. High Old Ones have unique individual titles but are collectively known as the Sons/Daughters (Dauls) of Sharindlar. Specialty priests are known as thalomor, a dwarvish word that can be loosely translated as those who are merciful. The clergy of Sharindlar includes gold dwarves (49%), shield dwarves (48%), jungle dwarves (2%), and even gray dwarves (1%). Sharindlar's clergy is nearly evenly divided between specialty priests (58%) and clerics (42%). The priesthood is still nearly all female (99%).

Dogma: Be merciful in speech and deed. Bring relief and healing where needful. Temper anger and hostility with constructive and charitable endeavor. The children of Moradin must live in safety and propagate. Maintain and encourage the traditional rites of courting and marriage. Celebrate the endless, joyous dance of life by living it to the fullest. Sharindlar restores the fertile seed of dwarven life, while Berronar protects the fruit.

Day-to-Day Activities : The traditional duties of Sharindlar's clergy include dispensing healing and mercy to dwarves and other individuals in need. This role requires both hospices in dwarven strongholds and travel to isolated dwarven holds scattered throughout surface and subterranean wildernesses. As dwarven birthrates slowly decline and the ranks of the Stout Folk shrink, particularly among the shield dwarves of the North, priests in Sharindlar's service devote most of their energy to reverse these trends, with the assistance of Berronar's clergy. The Merciful Maidens/Youths have focused on maintaining and teaching dwarven courting rites: traditional dances, ritual forms of address, and the like. They strive to bring young dwarves together, engendering likely matches, particularly outside the traditional clans, hoping to increase the number of prolific unions. Sharindlar's oversight of fertility has been extended in many dwarven cultures (particularly in surface-dwelling cultures such as High Shanatar and Besilmer) to include agriculture and animal husbandry. A particular emphasis has been placed on developing new strains of crops - wheat, barley, mushrooms, lichens, etc. - and hardier breeds of beasts - donkeys, sheep, etc.

Holy Days/Important Ceremonies: The worship of Sharindlar has been kept secret from outsiders, especially her fertility aspect. Dwarves in general refer to her as the Lady of Mercy whenever they know nondwarves to be listening. Dwarven priests of any faith who care for the wounded or sick often pray briefly for Sharindlar's favor.

When the moon begins to wax (the night after the new moon), at Greengrass, at Midsummer Night, and whenever the moon is full, Sharindlar's clergy gather to pray to the Lady of Life. The more secret rituals of Sharindlar take place in hidden caverns, wherever there is a pool of water. Such ceremonies involve dancing, prayers for the Lady's mercy and guidance, and the sacrifice of gold. Gold is heated until molten, and dwarves let blood from their own forearms into the mixture, which is then poured into the water, as Sharindlar's name is chanted and the dwarves dance about the pool in a frenzy, armor and weapons near at hand but not worn or carried.

In the Deep Realm, Sharindlar's rituals take place around the Lake of Gold, a subterranean lake whose rocky bottom is streaked with gleaming veins of gold. The Lady of Life's dwarven faithful never take gold from the lake, whose bottom is now carpeted with the sparkling gold dust of long ages of worship resulting from rituals performed in an effort to raise the low birthrate of the race. Rituals in honor of Sharindlar's fertility aspect celebrated here always end with splendid feasts and courting chases through the underways of the Deeps. Rituals invoking Sharindlar's healing strength enacted by two or more priests of the goddess involve their gathering over injured or sick beings. The Lady of Life's priests sprinkle the ill from a vial of water from the Lake of Gold, while whispering secret names and descriptions of the goddess. This ritual has a 20% chance of aiding healing per priest taking part, increased by 10% if water from the Lake of Gold is used, and another 20% if the injured being is favored by Sharindlar (a DM decision: Sharindlar has been known to favor nondwarves, pack animals, and even monsters). The aid increases of healing spells and potions to their maximum possible effect, doubles the at-rest healing rate, and halts the spread or effect of parasites (including rot grubs), diseases, and poisons completely for 1d4+1 days. The DM chooses the beneficial effect according to the circumstances. Even Sharindlar's name, whispered or repeated silently in the mind by the faithful, has a calming effect on upset or painwracked dwarves of all faiths, allowing them to sleep.

Major Centers of Worship: Tyn'rrin Wurlur, the Vale of Dancing Water, is a sprawling temple complex built among the ruins of the longfallen summer palace of King Torhild Flametonguee of Besilmer. Nestled amidst the rolling Sumber Hills-the modem name for the hills bisected by the River Dessarin, which lie just south of the Stone Bridge-the Rook of Torhild, as it is also known, is located on the western bank of the River Dessarin east of the abandoned, monster-haunted, adventurers' keeps along the Larch Path. If dwarven legends are true, the temple's catacombs contain the lost riches of fallen Besilmer, as yet unplundered, and access to subterranean tunnels that stretch from the Sword Mountains to the Unicorn Run.

The very existence of Sharindlar's temple in the Sumber Hills is a closely guarded secret among the Stout Folk of the North, a practice in keeping with the general reticence among dwarves to even discuss the beliefs and role of the Lady of Life with nondwarves. Passersby on the swift-flowing current below the hidden vale can see naught but three tiny creek-fed waterfalls that rush over the 30-foot-high cliff in an endless cascade of water and shimmering light. The aboveground structures of the temple complex are nearly invisible to anyone flying overhead, appearing as little more than boulderstrewn hillocks. Few travelers make the dangerous trek overland from the village of Red Larch to the western bank of the River Dessarin-even fewer stumble into the isolated dell, as the few footpaths in the region are cunningly constructed so as to lead travelers away from the elevated valley.

The fortified hospice of Tyn'rrin Wurlur is ably led by the aging matriarch, Dame of the Dessarin March Gwythiir, daul of Zarna. Gwythiir is assisted by a council of the eight highest-ranking priests residing in the abbey, collectively known as the Ladies of Merciful Life. When not roaming the North healing those in need, the temple's clergy-whose ranks include nearly two hundred dwarven priests who have received the call of the Lady of Life-spend their days at the temple tending small vineyards, making wine, and cultivating mushrooms on the shaded banks of the small creeks that wind through the valley. The wine presses of Tyn'rrin Wurlur are renowned in dwarven societies throughout the North for producing tuber nectar, a grape and mushroom wine legendary for its aphrodisiac properties. The Vale of Dancing Water is nearly as well known among the Stout Folk for its instruction of young dwarves, both male and female, in the rites of courting and the formal dances that have been passed down for centuries. In recent decades, successful dwarves-particularly those who have earned both wealth and honor by adventuring-have been returning to Tyn'rrin Wurlur when they are ready to settle down to enlist the Dame of the Dessarin March in finding them a suitable mate. Finally, the Vale of Dancing Water serves always-welcoming hospice to wounded or sick dwarves who seek sanctuary in order to finish out their days, or if possible, until they recover. Aging dwarves, particularly those whose careers developed their fighting prowess, often retire to Tyn'rrin Wurlur where they serve as seasoned, if aging, defenders of the vale.

Affiliated Orders: While Sharindlar has no martial orders dedicated to her name, about one in five other priests serve small dwarven communities as midwives, independent of the faith's more organized temple hierarchies. Members of this informal sorority are known collectively as the Maidens of Midwifery, and often extend their roles to include that of physician, matchmaker, and brewer of both aphrodisiacs and elixirs said to increase fertility.

Priestly Vestments: For ceremonial functions, Sharindlar's priests wear red robes with a blue girdle. The head is left bare except for a robin's egg blue scarf. The holy symbol of the faith is a silver disk embossed on both sides with the symbol of the goddess. It is often hung from an argent chain placed around the neck.

Adventuring Garb: Sharindlar's priests avoid violence if possible, but they defend themselves or their charges against obviously hostile and violent opponents. While they prefer regular dwarven garb, the Maidens of Mercy gird themselves with armor when appropriate. A blue scarf, tied around the brow, upper arm, wrist, or ankle, is worn as an adornment. Although they rarely advertise it, members of Sharindlar's clergy usually carry a small knife so that they can mercifully end the suffering of creatures whose pain cannot otherwise be alleviated and whose demise is imminent.

Thard Harr (THARD HAHRR) is the protector of wild dwarves (also known as jungle dwarves), aiding them against intruders and marauding beasts. The Lord of the Jungle Deeps is revered only by dur Authalar (the People) as the wild dwarves of the jungles of Faerun refer to themselves. Some hunters of other races and alignments operating in jungle areas look to the Disentangler for guidance as well, but they have little to do with the mainstream of Thard's faith or with wild dwarven society.

The Lord of the Jungle Deeps maintains friendly, but distant, relations with most of the other members of the Morndinsamman, but he is far removed from the concerns of dwarven life, at least as expressed by the gold and shield dwarf cultures of Faerun. Sharindlar and Dumathoin are probably the only dwarven powers to interact with Thard on a regular basis, the former for her interest in the rampant fertility of the jungle and the latter for his oversight of the albino shield dwarves of Chult who come into occasional contact with their wild kinfolk. Thard has forged alliances and developed hatreds for many of the other powers whose worshipers dwell or have dwelt in the jungles of southern Faerun. Notable allies include Jazirian, lord of the couatl, and Ubtao, Father of the Dinosaurs, Founder of Mezro, and god of the Tabaxi. The Disentangler's most notable foes include Eshowdow the Shadow Giant, Ubtao's antithesis and lord of the Eshowe (jungle humans), Sseth the Great Snake, god of the yuan-ti, and Kuro (Khurgorbaeyag), the most widely worshiped god of the Batiri (jungle goblins). Finally, although they are not true powers in their own right, Thard has forged close relationships with many of the Animal Lords who also dwell in the Beastlands.

Thard seldom speaks, but he has been known to purr, growl, snarl, and roar like a great cat. He is given to great swings of emotion and grand gestures. The Disentangler has no tolerance for pretentious behavior, civilization, or social constraints of any sort. He seldom appears in the Realms, preferring to roam the Beastlands, aiding his worshipers by manifestations instead. The Lord of the Jungle Deeps lives on the Forbidden Plateau, where Ubtao has his secondary realm, but he also loves to wander the three layers of the Beastlands, constantly stalking the beasts that dwell there and frolicking with them, running as one of them rather than preying upon them.

Other Manifestations

Thard's manifestations involve low, continuous thudding and snarling sounds that apparently emanate from the empowered beings. The sounds are unstoppable and have no special effect. Empowered beings begin to glow with a crawling, pulsing nimbus of cherry-red light, and they are imbued with power from the god for up to 1 turn.

Thard empowers only one being at a time, either a wild dwarf or a jungle beast. A beast simply uses its natural attacks and abilities to fight for the jungle dwarves to the death. It is rendered immune to natural or magical entanglement, including snares, any form of charm or mental influences, including illusions. It becomes fearless, attacking despite fire, spells, or opponents of large size or demonstrated ferocity. An empowered dwarf gains a temporary bonus of four levels (affecting THAC0, all saving throws, and hit points). Temporary hit points gained in this way are lost with the withdrawal of Thard's power, but any damage suffered by an empowered dwarf is taken first from these. Empowered dwarves also gain claws of Thard Harr.

Thard often manifests in one dwarf after another in the same conflict, so that intruders may face one empowered dwarf for a turn, another for the next turn, and so on. The god never aids the same dwarf for more than 6 turns in a day, but he may grant aid in separate visits (either actual, or in manifestations), to this limit, if danger persists.

Thard is served by alligators, asuras, baku, bats, boalisks, buraq, crocodiles, dinosaurs (children of Ubtao), dryads, earth and water elementals, einheriar, elephants, emerald dragons, giant beetles, grippli, hollyphants, insect swarms, jaculi, jaguars, leomarhs, leopards, mist dragons, normal and giant animals, spitting snakes, strangleweed, sunflies, tigers, treants, triflower fronds, and warden beasts. He demonstrates his favor through the discovery of calantra wood carvings, diamonds, emeralds, gold, green spinels, metal weapons, and zaiantar wood rods. The Lord of the Jungle Deeps indicates his displeasure by causing the recipient of his wrath to become tangled in a vine and trip, by shattering precious gems with the roar of some great beast hidden by the surrounding jungle, or by causing metal to rust, wood to rot, and leather to rapidly decay.

The Church

The church of Thard Harr ceased following the dwarven traditions about clergy and gender long ago, so the numbers of females in the formerly male-exclusive priesthood are relatively large.

Like the Tabaxi and Ubtao, the wild dwarves of the Jungles of Chult and the Mhair Jungles are nearly monotheistic in outlook, and the worship of the Lord of the Jungle Deeps is so firmly embedded in their culture it is nearly impossible, regardless of alignment, for them to conceive of any alternative faith. Outside of the human and demihuman cultures of the Chultan peninsula, however, Thard and his followers are little more than legend, even among the gold dwarves of the South. Ancient dwarven tradition holds that Thard was once revered as a dwarven god of nature by the other dwarven subraces, but High Shanatar, the last dwarven culture to revere him as such, has long since fallen.

Temples of Thard rarely incorporate artificial structures like buildings or dwarf-carved caves. The Disentangler is worshiped in isolated sanctuaries of incredible natural beauty rich in animal and plant life. Soaring cliffs, great waterfalls, vast gorges, hot springs, natural caverns, and volcanic mud flats deep in the heart of the jungles of the Chultan peninsula are common places for Thard's worshipers to gather. Like the great druid groves of the North, such sites are strong in faith magic and can often ser e as a source for mystic rituals of great power. Usually up to a dozen priests of the Lord of the Jungle Deeps watch over such holy sites, and they can call on the beasts of the surrounding jungle as well as nearby tribes of wild dwarves to defend these sanctuaries.

Priests of the Lord of the Jungle Deeps are known as shamans (although they are not actually members of that class) and eschew the use of a formal hierarchy of titles. High Old Ones are collectively known as the Lords/Ladies of the Jungle. Each priest receives a personal title in a dream on the night the individual is initiated into the clergy. Such titles typically include the name of a great beast of the jungle over which the priest is then believed to have a small amount of supernatural control. Specialty priests are known as vuddor, a dwarvish word that can be loosely translated as those of the jungle. The clergy of Thard consists primarily of jungle dwarves (99%), plus a small handful of gold, gray, and shield dwarves (1%). Most of the Disentangler's priests are male (60%), but in recent centuries increasing numbers of females (40%) have been admitted to the priesthood as well. Thard's clergy is nearly evenly divided between specialty priests (53%) and clerics (47%).

Dogma: The jungle is the fullest expression of the earth, the wind, the sun, and the rains. Live in harmony with nature under the wise and benevolent protection of the Lord of the Jungle Deeps. Outsiders seek to pillage and destroy, and their unnatural ways bring misery. Like the great tigers of the jungle, be strong and wary of beasts, whether they walk on two legs or four. Seek to understand that which you do not, but be wary of bringing unknown gifts into your lair. Be one with nature-live neither against it nor apart from it. Honor the ways of your people, but assume not that Thard's way is the only way-just the best way for his children.

Day-to-Day Activities : Priests of Thard represent the Lord of the Jungle Deeps, protecting dur Authalar with powers given to them by the god and leading them on prosperous hunts and careful explorations. They are the leaders and generals of, and speakers for, their people. The responsibility for eliminating persistent intruders (unless dwarven) into wild dwarven territory falls to the Disentangler's priests, and they are expected to lead such attacks as fearlessly and diligently as Thard himself. If a foe is too strong, a priest tries to mentally call Thard himself to the scene, and the Lord of the Jungle Deeps often responds by either sending a manifestation, or in very rare situations, by dispatching an avatar to deal with the threat directly. Thard's wisdom teaches that one can best defeat an nemy that one knows well. Seasoned wild dwarves try to capture at least one intruder alive for questioning, before sacrificial use. If sparing the intruder seems likely to bring possible future benefits to the dwarves, they do so. Jungle dwarves are interested in trademetal, glass objects, and tools-in return for pelts, meat, or even live beasts. They conduct trade so long as they can conduct it on territory of their choosing, to set up traps and ambushes to guard against treachery under the direction of priests of Thard.

Holy Days/Important Ceremonies: Ceremonies venerating the Lord of the Jungle Deeps are held on nights of the full and new mon. On such occasions, several hunting bands come together under the direction of one or more priests of Thard. The drums and chants of the wild dwarves then echo throughout the jungle, striking terror in the hearts of intelligent beings and beasts alike. Whenever the moon is full, and often when the moon is new, blood sacrifices of beasts and/or intruders are offered up to the Lord of the Jungle Deeps. Although they are not cannibals and do not usually eat intelligent beings, the assembled wild dwarves then often eat the still-warm sacrifice, regardless of its species.

Major Centers of Worship: Morandin Vertesplendar-rorn, the Emerald Crater, is located high above the Jungles of Chult in the truncated cone of a shattered volcano left by the eruption of what was once the northwesternmost of the Peaks of Flame centuries ago. The crater is now totally overgrown by the jungle and rife with such animal and plant life as is little seen in the rest of Chultan peninsula, let alone Faerun. The Emerald Crater has long been a place of pilgrimage for the wild dwarves of the surrounding jungles. Thard is said to have appeared here on more than one occasion, so great is the beauty of the region. However, there is little physical evidence that the wild dwarves visit the mountain valley on a regular basis, for their stories teach that it is a crime to hunt or otherwise despoil the riotous life that dwells within. However, interlopers find themselves quickly confronted and driven off by elite bands of wild dwarves if they even approach, let alone enter, the Emerald Crater.

One reason Morndin Vertesplendarrorn has its preeminent position among the wild dwarven culture (the dur Authalar tend to abandon such locales after a generation or two), is the presence of Esmerandanna, an emerald great wyrm who has dwelt within the volcanic crater since its violent creation in the Year of the Quivering Mountains (77 DR). The Resplendent Queen, as the sage dragon is known, has long been fascinated by the customs and history of the wild dwarves of the surrounding region. Over the centuries, her paranoia that the roving bands of wild dwarves who venerate the Lord of the Jungle Deeps wish to steal her treasure has slowly subsided. In fact, the great wyrm has forged a bond of friendship with the disparate priests of the Thardite faith and agreed to guard their most sacred runestones. As a result, the wild dwarves of Chult return to the Emerald Crater to venerate their god and to record and store their most sacred carvings. The draconic guardian who resides therein has become firmly woven into the mythology of the wild dwarves as the Daul (daughter) of Thard.

Affiliated Orders: The Thardite faith has no formal military orders. However, on rare occasions, Thard's clergy collectively determine that it is in the best interest of dur Authalar to go to war. At such times, the best warriors of the widely scattered hunting bands come together to form the Pack. The Pack includes bloods (warriors of 2nd through 4th level), war leaders (warriors of 5th through 7th level), and priests of demonstrable fighting skill. Once assembled, not unlike the barbarian and ore hordes of the North, the Pack is a nearly unstoppable Juggernaut that drives beasts and beings, great and small, from its path. Once the Pack's objective is achieved-the destruction of a yuan-ti enclave or a Batiri village, for example-the Pack quickly disperses and its surviving participants return to their small hunting bands.

Priestly Vestments: Priests of Thard bear the god's crossedgauntlets sign as a tattoo, usually on one shoulder or on the scalp, overgrown by their hair. Priests of Thard never cut their beards (even the females), but instead braid them into ropes that they tie around their waists or shoulders. If an enemy or beast cuts a priest's beard, there is no penalty; if it is done by the priest himself or herself, it is a sign that she or he is turning away from Thard's service and can no longer expect aid from the god. The skull of a large jungle beast, such as a rhinoceros, great cat, or giant crocodile is worn as a helm. For ceremonial purposes, the pelts or skins of jungle monsters are worn as robes. The holy symbol of the faith is the tattoo of the Disentangler's symbol each priest bears. When a ritual would normally require a priest to present his holy symbol, it is sufficient for a priest of Thard to simply cross his forearms at the wrists several inches in front of his chest.

Adventuring Garb: Like other wild dwarves, the Disentangler's priests rarely don clothing, with the exception of their beast helms, as their long, woven hair serves as adequate garb. They cover their bodies with tattoos and grease. The grease serves to keep off insects and makes them hard to hold .When going to war, priests of the Disentangler plaster their hair and bodies with mud that, when combined with the grease they normally coat their bodies in, forms a crude but effective armor.Thard's priests favor metal weapons and tools, if available, but otherwise they employ their fists, clubs, and the claws of Thard Harr

Dumathoin (DOO-muh-THOE-in) is the Keeper of Secrets Under the Mountain, and he hides the secrets of the earth until deserving and diligent dwarves are ready to be guided to them. He lays veins of iron, copper, gold, silver, and mithral where he feels they will best benefit his followers. He watches over the safety and security of miners of all races and has a special role as the protector of shield dwarves and the creator of the urdunnirin.

Dumathoin created a paradise under the mountains for the shield dwarves when Moradin named him their protector. He shaped natural caverns of great beauty, studded with rich and beautiful deposits of shining metals and glittering outcroppings of crystalline gems. He was angered when the dwarves began to mine the mountains, destroying the beauty he had created. Dumathoin was pleased, flattered, and a little awed, however, when he saw the finely Grafted items the dwarves produced from the ores they had mined. He no longer objects to tunneling, mining, or the collecting of treasures underground. The Silent Keeper frowns, however, on clumsy or crude rockcutting that does not smooth the earth, follow the natural flows, and highlight the individual features of the rocks. Cutting that causes cavern collapses and floodings are even less to his liking, and he is openly angered by those who pillage. Pillagers, in Dumathoin's eyes, are beings of all races who take the earth's riches away (in other words, to the surface) for unfair or selfish purposes, taking more than their share and leaving rubble and other messes in their wake.

Dumathoin is friendly with Geb, Flandal Steelskin, Segojan Earthcaller, and other nondwarven gods of the earth and smithcraft. He supplies nondwarven gods of blacksmiths with adamantite ore and sometimes does business with the other gods (through his and their priests) for metals and ores as well. Dumathoin has a nonhostile relationship of some sort with Ilsensine, god of illithids. But aside from the close proximity of their outer planar realms, the exact nature of the relationship is unknown to any other powers, and no such detente exists between the two gods' followers in the Realms.

The Silent Keeper never speaks, communicating instead with gestures. He has never been known to do more than grunt or sigh (in exertion or pain) in the presence of mortals. Dumathoin may also set subtle clues as to his purposes and the nature of the world beneath the surface, such that only those with keen eyes and wits can perceive them. The Keeper has a stolid patience and tolerance (particularly of nondwarves and hasty behavior) lacking in most other dwarven deities. However, he is just as patient and implacable an enemy when angered. Most who offend Dumathoin and realize what they have done set at once to loudly and fervently praying for his forgiveness. They frequently offer to make amends by bringing back gems and metal treasures to the place where they offended him—immediately, if possible, or by a specified time otherwise. If they keep this promise, Dumathoin is usually appeased. If they seem forgetful, they had better not ever go near a mountain or cave again!

Although Dumathoin spends much of his time in the Outlands, he uses his stone seeing ability (unlimited range) to keep underground and mountainous areas of Toril under almost constant surveillance.

Other Manifestations

The Keeper of Secrets commonly manifests in two helpful ways and two harmful ways, treating dwarves and nondwarves equally.

Often when miners or other creatures are lost underground, particularly when their light sources are all gone, the power of Dumathoin guides them to safety by causing rock crystals exposed in the stone walls to sparkle or wink in sequence, beckoning and outlining a route. Where crystals are lacking, areas of bare rock may glow for a time.

Many miners pray to Dumathoin in thanks for another underearth phenomenon: the sudden, spontaneous shifting of wedged boulders or rubble blockages that have trapped miners or prevented their further exploration.

In the same way, they call rumblings in the deep and other earth tremors "the warnings of Dumathoin" and heed them whenever they occur, particularly as a cavern is first entered or a rockface first struck with pick or hammer. If warning tremors are ignored, or Dumathoin's anger is severe, a cave-in occurs above the offenders—typically a minor one doing 4d8 points of damage (a successful saving throw vs. petrification reduces this damage to 2d8 points). Dumathoin also uses this technique to punish individuals whose actions offend him. In such cases, the Keeper typically causes a localized rockfall (in other words, down on the head of one offending character) from either a rock ceiling overhead, or if on the outside of a mountain, from a peak or ledge above. The damage is the same as that of a cave-in, but no saving throw to reduce it is allowed, and there is no chance of other characters being hit or a further collapse occurring—Dumathoin's power is precise.

Dumathoin is served by azer, earth and fire elementals, galeb duhr, undead dwarves, and urdunnirin. He demonstrates his favor through the discovery of veins of precious ore and gems of all types (except octel, shandon, sphene, and rock crystal, all of which are sacred to Berronar). The Silent Keeper indicates his displeasure by making rich veins play out quickly, leading miners to discover pyrite (also known as fool's gold) or causing uncut gems to shatter into worthless fragments upon the first touch of a gemcutter's tools.

The Church

All priests of Dumathoin were male until the Time of Troubles; recently, however, females have been permitted in the clergy.

All dwarves who live in (or venture into) subterranean areas or mountains, or those who work directly with the riches of the earth, worship the Silent Keeper. All dwarven miners and many nondwarven ones at least appease him, even if they do not fully support him. Miners in the North and dwarves throughout the Realms often carry a small diamond, agate, or other gemstone ( but not including octel, shandon, sphene, or rock crystals, for reasons noted above) with them to attract his favor.

Temples and shrines of Dumathoin are commonly found across the North, in dwarven holds such as Adbarrim, Felbarr, Hillsafar Hall, Ironmaster, Mithral Hall, Tethyamar, and the Far Hills. There are also temples in the lands that were once held by the realms of High and Deep Shanatar (now the kingdoms of Amn, Erikazar, Tethyr, and Calimshan). While shrines and temples of Dumathoin are typically found in the holds of the shield dwarves, they are extremely rare among the other dwarven subraces, except for the gold dwarves—in whose realms they are merely uncommon. But the gold dwarves have constructed at least two grand Dumathan houses of worship in the cities of the Deep Realm. Temples of Dumathoin are constructed in the deepest and best-hidden natural caverns, which may be opened up or improved by dwarves without disqualifying them for use. Such caverns are commonly chosen for their veins of precious ores and/or the presence of many gems in the surrounding rock, although the presence of Dumathoin's hidden gifts is not strictly necessary. At the heart of such temples are simple altars consisting of natural boulders or large stone blocks. Statues of the Silent Keeper, depicting him in his many aspects, line the walls.

Novices of Dumathoin are known as the Uncut. Upon taking the Silent Vow, they become full priests and are known as Keepers of the Shield. In ascending order of rank, the titles used by the Keepers of the Shield are Agate, Onyx, Amethyst, Jargoon, Garnet, Topaz, Opal, Sapphire, and Diamond. The highest ranking priests of Dumathoin are collectively known as Beljurils, but most have unique individual titles as well. Specialty priests are known as delvesonns, a dwarvish word that can be loosely translated at Dumathoin's hidden gifts. The clergy of Dumathoin is composed primarily of shield dwarves (80%), gold dwarves (18%), and gray dwarves (1%). Nondwarves, such as humans, rock gnomes, stout halflings, and svirfneblin, make up the remainder of the clergy and must be clerics, crusaders, or (if normally permissible to the race in question) fighter/clerics. Dumathoin's clergy is nearly evenly split between specialty priests (45%) and clerics (44%). The remainder of the clergy members are fighter/clerics (6%) or crusaders (5%). The priesthood is still predominantly (97%) male.

Dogma: Walk the deep and silent ways of Dumathoin. Seek out the hidden gifts of the Keeper of Secrets Under the Mountain. That which is hidden is precious, and that which is precious shall stay hidden. Seek to enhance the natural beauty of Dumathoin's gifts and go with, not against, the contours of the deeps. Beauty is in the discovery and the Grafting, not the holding. Keep the places of our dead inviolate and well tended; the noble ancestor of our race will neither be robbed nor mocked through the actions of thieves and defilers. Abide not undead creatures, especially those that take the form of dwarves, thus mocking the creation of Moradin.

Day-to-Day Activities: Priests of Dumathoin seek always to uncover the buried wealth of the earth without marring the beauty of the ways beneath the surface or being overly greedy. They often supervise mining operations and maintain underground safety and security. They work to clean up the rubble of mining, to grow and put in place luminous fungi and edible deep-mosses, and to direct water through the earth to best serve the underlife that includes, of course, dwarves. Priests of this faith are always hunting for new veins of ore, new sources and species of useful fungi, and new delves or underways never explored before. They try to identify encountered dangers and determine strategies to deal with these menaces of the deep places appropriately. They also bargain with other (nonhostile) underground races to avoid over-exploitation of resources.

A priest of Dumathoin is always learning the tiniest details of conditions and life underground. Most priests are therefore invaluable in leading companions through the underways in darkness (for example, when all torches have been used). They can also find water, veins of ore, and cracks or fissures that provide ways out, or can be mined to yield a way from one cavern to another.

As Keeper of Secrets Under the Mountain, Dumathoin is the dwarves' protector in death. While it may have been otherwise in the early days of dwarven civilization, Dumathoin's priests have been the primary morticians and tomb protectors since the latter days of Ammarindar, the lost dwarven realm that existed as a contemporary of Netheril. In fact, priests of Dumathoin do their god justice as Keeper of Secrets, for it is incredibly difficult to find dwarven tombs at all, let alone plumb their mysteries.

Holy Days/Important Ceremonies: Nights of new moons and the days to either side of each such a night are considered holy days. They are known collectively as the Deepstone Triad, for the moon is considered to be hidden deep beneath the surface during this time. Also, special holy days known as Splendarrsonn can be decreed by a High Old One of the faith, usually when dwarves discover a major new lode, lost subterranean treasure cache or delve, or something of the sort.

Gems and jewelry are sacrificed to Dumathoin at each celebration of the Deepstone Triad and on all other holy days. Such precious stones are offered up on altars dedicated to the god. Gems sacrificed to the Keeper are pulverized and mixed with certain herbs and fungal secretions to derive a paste that serves to make rock porous, help plant material adhere to it, and provide nourishment for plants in contact with it. With buckets of this acrid, purple-and-green fibrousa paste, priests of Dumathoin creep about the underways painting and planting fungi and other plant life to improve the underground environment. These improvements include not only beautification of the underground ways, but also concealment of stone dwarven doors, redirection of watercourses to turn water-wheels or fill reservoirs, and so on.

Among the various burial practices used by priests of Dumathoin, there are only three set precepts that must be met. First, the body must be washed, and three or more stone burial tokens—the corpse's personal mark, the clan's mark, and Dumathoin's mark—must be braided into the deceased's beard. Second, the corpse is clothed in his or her own armor or a light suit of mail burial armor. (No matter what trade a dwarf plied in life, none enters the afterlife unarmored and unreadied.) Finally, the priest presiding over the burial must create a song honoring the dead dwarf's life and deeds; the song is carved into the lid of the coffin or sarcophagus (or when in a large clan tomb with numerous niches for fallen dwarves, onto the back of a mausoleum seal, a plaque, or a marker covering the recess where the deceased is buried).

The song is never sung out loud in honor of the ever-silent Dumathoin. If someone finds it and speaks or sings it aloud, it is believed that a curse will settle on the one who committed the sacrilege. (Some suggest that the corpse itself might reanimate and smite the offender.)

Burial practices may change slightly to suit particular clans, but a number of alterations in typical burial practices occur upon the passing of a dwarf deserving of special status. In general, there are simply more ceremonies, and more attention is paid to the construction of the tomb. The following are some specific variations that might be found in the burials of important dwarves:

The burial of a priest is a more convoluted and lengthy process, incorporating aspects of Dumathoin's worship and that of the god whom the priest served. Priests therefore tend to be buried within well-guarded tombs, and their sarcophagi are surrounded by (if not buried under) tokens and offerings from the priest's friends and faithful. Priests of Clangeddin or Moradin are often interred with the remains of their greatest conquered adversary, ensuring a grand afterlife of battle against dwarffoes. Unlike many other dwarven tombs, priests' spells are used heavily in the interment of a priest to protect the remains and offerings (and, some hint, to prevent the gods from calling on their servants after their time has passed). Clan allies of any race can be interred within dwarven tombs, but only if they fell in battle defending the allied clan, the tomb, or a place sacred to Dumathoin. While others are buried with standard ceremony and accouterments, wizards are always clad in robes made of woven silver and sealed in solid silver sarcophagi (or a burial creche lined with silver); this is due to a superstition born of an old dwarven myth that Dumathoin paid Mystra his weight in silver to garner his faithful protection from the magics that disturb the sleep of the dead. While there is believed to be little truth in this legend, the custom still prevails. Clan outcasts (assuming a priest of Dumathoin willing to officiate over their burials can even be found) are buried without a clan mark in their beards, and their coffins or burial place markers often depict the broken or marred symbols of their former clans. Major Centers of Worship: Aecaurak Splendarrsonn, the Gilded Hall of Glittering Gems, is a vast natural cavern deep in the heart of Mirabar's mines, on the level known as the Third Below. The Gilded Hall was first consecrated as a temple of Dumathoin millennia ago by King Anarok of the Royal House of the Helm in the dwarven realm of Gharraghaur. The original cavern, located at the nexus of several veins of gold, was expanded centuries ago by the followers of Dumathoin so as to reveal the beauty and brightness of the golden ore without actually extracting it. This gives the impression that the entire cavern is gilded with gold leaf. In addition, thousands of gems have been enchanted so as to float about the chamber, and a few of them serve as the focus of continual light spells, creating a brilliant rainbow of colors throughout the cavern. The current high priest of the Gilded Hall is Voice of the Mountain Agrathan Hardhammer, a prominent Councilor of Mirabar's elected Council of Sparkling Stones. Both human and dwarven miners attend worship services at Aecaurak Splendarrsonn. A long-sealed temple of Dumathoin, the Vault of Hidden Silences, still exists on the Lost Level in the depths of Undermountain beneath the city of Waterdeep. A single priest, Bandaerl Dumatheir, son of Rykos, blood of Melair, High Old One of Dumathoin, and protector of Melairbode's essence (an archlich specialty priest), guards the temple and adjoining crypts of Clan Melairkyn from unwanted interlopers and Halaster's mischief. (Further details of this temple may be found in Undermountain: The Lost Level.)

Corundumdelve, the Hidden Gem of the Depths, is a legendary temple of Dumathoin constructed by the urdunnirin tens of miles below the surface of Faerûn. Located deep beneath the Alimir mountains of the Almraiven peninsula in eastern Calimshan, this temple remains hidden. Its location has never been revealed, even to the dwarves of Deep Shanatar when that realm was at its height. Unlike conventional temples, the Hidden Gem is not composed of walls, passages, and chambers, but it is actually a vast dodecahedron composed entirely of tightly packed amethysts, rubies, and sapphires, each larger than a dwarven helm. Navigating (or even simply abiding in) the temple requires the ability to pass through stone as if it did not exist, an ability of the urdunnirin and a few High Old Ones of Dumathoin who are capable of casting earth walk.

Affiliated Orders: The Knights of the Mithral Shield, based in Citadel Adbar, is an order of 300 Dumathan crusaders and multiclassed delvesonn/fighters. These elite dwarven warrior priests serve as the honor guard of King Harbromm of Adbarrim and, as of the fall of the orc-held Citadel of Many Arrows, King Emerus Warcrown of Felbarr. Each Dumathan knight is sworn to serve the Mountain Shield as protector of the shield dwarves, whom Dumathoin is forever pledged to protect.

Priestly Vestments: Dumathoin's clergy favor leather garments, whether they be armor or mining gear. They keep their heads bare and wear earth-brown cloaks and over-robes. Like all dwarves, they grow their hair and beards long, but none of the Silent Keeper's generally hirsute priests braid or trim their hair. The holy symbol of the faith is a miniature silver pick.

Adventuring Garb: In times of likely strife, Dumathoin's priests garb themselves in the most effective armor and weapons available. The Silent Keeper's clergy members typically favor picks, hammers, and other mining tools in combat, but they are usually proficient in the use of a wide range of weapons.

Vergadain (VUR-guh-dane), the Master Merchant, is the patron of dwarven merchants and most nonevil dwarven thieves. A schemer and a rogue, Vergadain is venerated by dwarves of any neutral alignment engaged in commerce and concerned with wealth. Vergadain is sometimes called the Trickster, though not by dwarves who worship him, and the Laughing Dwarf, though a dwarf would never use such a term. Long ago Vergadain assumed the Realms-based aspect of Bes, the Short Father, a lesser power of the Mulhorandi pantheon. While Bes's cult has long since sunk into obscurity, a few human merchants in the city of Skuld still call on Vergadain's aspect as the Mulhorandi god of luck and chance.

Vergadain is on good terms with most members of the Morndinsamman, having forged a particularly close relationship with Dugmaren Brightmantie, and the Master Merchant even maintains an uneasy truce with Abbathor, the Great Master of Greed. Vergadain trades with a great number of other mortals and powers, and as a result, he has forged solid relationships with a wide range of beings, far more than the other, relatively insular, members of the dwarven pantheon. In his aspect as Bes, Vergadain has forged a strong relationship with Nephthys, though she frowns heavily on his patronage of nonevil thieves and trickery.

Vergadain's home plane is that of the Outlands, but he seems to spend little time there. Instead, he restlessly roams wildspace and the worlds that can be found in it. He concentrates his efforts wherever there are humans, giants, demihumans, and humanoids to be bilked of their belongings by his tricks, and dwarves to appreciate his cleverness and daring-and to profit by it. Vergadain delights in showing up at desperate dwarven settlements with exactly the unique, rare, or hard-to-find object or substances they are lacking. If the dwarves are not in dire straits, the treasure granted by Vergadain is hidden, and clues to its location are often hidden in the lyrics of a song or rhyme. Vergadain can appraise the exact material, historical, and cultural value of any treasure, and he knows the maximum price a customer is willing to pay. He delights in his magnificent collection of art objects and jewelry in Strongale Hall. The Master Merchant has a great singing voice and is a master of disguise and mimicry. He is said to be a great poet as well, and he dispenses clues to his worshipers, hidden in a verse or rhyme, to the locations of great treasures. Vergadain smiles more than any other dwarven deity-or sane living dwarf! His eyes are actually seen to twinkle enigmatically more often than he shows his smile to the world. Vergadain delights in and excels at con games, even simple tavern-tricks, and admires someone who bests him rather than punishing them or trying to get even. He is always looking for new techniques, and when he detects a con artist, he often watches and follow for a time to see what he can. Most of Vergadain's adventures concern the elaborate con games he has played on many humans, demihumans, humanoids, and giants in order to win their every belonging of worth. He is not above using any sort of harmless trick to accomplish his ends, and he is eternally suspicious of potential adversaries who might try to trick him in return.

Other Manifestations

Vergadain likes to appear in avatar form in the Realms. He manifests only rarely, and in one of four ways:

(1) Vergadain may appear as an unseen dwarven singer or musician, whose song, drumming, or piping leads lost dwarves to refuge, safety, an escape route, or treasure.

(2) He may appear more subtly, seizing control of a singer, prophet, or sage for his own purposes. That person utters, speaks, or sings words to leave clues or directions to the where- abouts of great treasure. At times, Vergadain signals his presence by animating a gold piece, his symbol, to orbit the head of the possessed being; he does this particularly when the being is not a dwarf, and he wants only dwarves to notice the message.

(3)Vergadain can appear as an animated, endlessly rolling gold coin that travels along the floor or ground. The coin can travel uphill, or even bound up steps, to lead beings to treasure; the coin settles only to mark a hiding place or the route onward (a loose flagstone leading to a tunnel, for instance). It gives no warning of guardian monsters or traps.

(4) Finally, he can appear as a long rope that comes to hand unexpectedly when a dwarf needs it most (for example, to escape down a cliff or castle wall, or to rescue a fallen companion). The rope later vanishes. Vergadain is served by arcane, aurumvorae, copper dragons, crystal dragons, ghost dragons, gold-colored cats, gynosphinxes, kenku, leprechauns, messenger snakes, and plumachs. He demonstrates his favor through the unexpected discovery of gold dice, jewels, precious metals (particularly gold), rare spices, other prized trade goods, and the receiving of exactly nine coins (of any mintage) during a business transaction. The Merchant King indicates his displeasure through a run of bad luck, a snake left in a sack (a symbol of Vergadain's own wiliest con tricks), the presence of lock lurkers and luck eaters, the discovery of pyrite (also known as fool's gold), and the receiving of exactly five coins (of any mintage) during a business transaction.

The Church

Vergadain's clergy were all male before the Time of Troubles. Since then, females have begun entering the clergy. Followers of Vergadain are usually seen as suspicious characters, particularly outside dwarven society, and the Merchant King's faithful are viewed with a mixture of respect and envy for their commercial success and distrust of their principles and practices. Thus, few dwarves willingly admit that Vergadain is their deity. If a follower of the Master Merchant denies to others that Vergadain is that person's true deity, the god is not offended, so long as the proper sacrifices are made. Priests and followers are allowed to hide their reverence on occasion, since few people knowledgeable about this cult are very happy at conducing transactions and deals with them.

Temples of Vergadain are windowless chambers located either in underground complexes or on the surface in fortresslike, near impregnable vaults. They are filled with countless coins, jewels, and other treasures, whose collective value usually rivals that of most dragon's hoards, with appropriate magical and nonmagical traps to guard them. The central chapel is always dominated by huge stone cauldrons that serve as altars. Huge gold coins, fully 5 feet across, hang above each altar. These coins are guardian anators that emit lightning bolts and magic missiles at unauthorized beings who take things from an altar (where the offerings of Vergadain's faithful are placed). A being of neutral or chaotic neutral alignment can avoid this magical wrath by whispering the anator's password prior to removing an item from the cauldron. Note that the password to each anator is usually known only to the seniormost priest of the temple and to Vergadain himself, and such passwords can be quickly changed by those knowing the old password.

Novices of Vergadain are known as the Impoverished. Full priests of the Merchant King are known as Gilded Merchants. In ascending order of rank, the titles used by Vergadainan priests are Alloyn, Copprak, Argentic, Electrol, Aurak, and High Aurak. High Old Ones have unique individual titles but are collectively known as Merchant Princes. Specialty priests are known as hurndor, a dwarvish word that can be loosely translated as those who trade. The clergy of Vergadain includes gold dwarves (60%), shield dwarves (39%), gray dwarves (1%), and a handful of jungle dwarves. Vergadain's clergy is nearly evenly divided between specialty priests (37%), clerics (33%), and thieves (30%). The majority of Vergadain's priests are male (93%).

Dogma: The truly blessed are those whose enterprise and zeal brings both wealth and good luck. Dwarves are well suited to earn their fortunes by the effort of both their hands and their minds; use both to pry wealth out of others. Work hard, be clever, seek the best bargain, and the Merchant King will shower you with gold. Live life to its fullest; save, tithe, and spend your riches and thus encourage more trade. Treat others with respect, but shirk not your responsibilty to try to strike a deal better for you than for them-to not try would be to leave the gifts that Vergadain gives you idle.

Day-to-Day Activities: Vergadain's priests are dedicated to furthering the success of dwarven merchant commerce with other races, especially humans, but always to the benefit of dwarves. The priesthood is expected to be personally wealthy and to maintain the Merchant King's temples in excellent style. Their role is to increase general dwarven influence and prosperity and thus help the dwarves to further their craftwork, weapons-mastery, and inventions. Gold donated on Vergadain's altars is spent or traded shrewdly, to support dwarven merchants. Vergadain's clergy use it to bail dwarven merchants out of debt where possible, place bribes to help dwarven trade and commerce with other lands and races of Faerun, and so on. Through these means the priests of Vergadain hope to increase dwarven importance in the Realms, and they often work with priests of the other dwarven gods (particularly Dumathoin and sometimes even Abbathor) to do so.

Holy Days/Important Ceremonies: Priests of Vergadain work tirelessly to support and promote dwarven merchants and craftsfolk throughout Faerun. Whenever they render aid or handle material wealth of any sort, they mutter Vergadain's name in homage. Most of Vergadain's faithful also do so, and this makes up the bulk of Vergadain's daily worship. It is said that Vergadain can see into the mind of any creature within 10 feet wherever his name is uttered. He sometimes warns a dwarf of treachery by means of a vision or a preventative manifestation.

Holy days of the Vergadainan faith are known as coin festivals to the faithful and as trade moots to those cynics who would purchase their wares, for Vergadain's followers typically seek to earn as much coin as they can before such ceremonies-and thus last-minute bargains are to be had-so as to earn status among their fellows by garish displays of personal wealth and large tithes. Coin Festivals are held on the days before and after a full moon, on Greengrass, and any day proclaimed holy by a Merchant Prince. Offerings of gold are made to Vergadain once a month at such coin festivals by placing them on an altar dedicated to the Merchant King.

The proper rituals of worship to the god consist of meeting in windowless rooms or underground, around torches, braziers, or other flames. The rituals call for dancing in slow, stately shiftings around the flame, wearing and displaying gold and other objects of worth. Every dwarf who worships the god throws at least one gold piece into the flame as the dance continues. The flame consumes valuables placed in it utterly, sometimes dying away to reveal a map, clue, scroll, potion, or other sending of the god. These sendings are rare, and although helpful, they are rarely powerful. The appearance of a weapon is known but extremely rare. Perhaps the most common sending of Vergadain is a duplicate key to a strongbox, vault, or barrier that prevents dwarves from reaching wealth rightfully belonging to them, or stolen by cheating them over a period of time.

The dance ends when the flame flares upward, signifying the god's attention and thanks. The priests light candles or conjure light, and then discuss business (usually current projects to further dwarven wealth). Transfers of necessary fees, bribes, aid, or other funds from one dwarf to another occurs next, usually from priests to the faithful they have called to worship. Finally, the ranking priest passes his hand through the flame, which slowly diminishes. At this time, any dwarf present kisses a gold coin as a gesture of farewell, and then departs.

Major Centers of Worship: Aefindar Ultokhurnden, the Trademoot of Golden Fortune, is a fortresslike cathedral at the center of the dwarven city of Eartheart on the rim of the Great Rift. The exterior granite walls of the Trademoot are plated in gold and polished regularly, making the temple shine so bright that it is almost difficult to look at when the sun is at its highest. The great hall of the Merchant King's temple serves the city as its central market place, and its upper chambers houses the ministry of trade and commerce. The lower levels of the Trademoot house much of the city's wealth as well as three grand chapels of Vergadain. This center of bustling commerce is presided over by Merchant Prince Royal Ghaern Goldthumb, son of Cael, blood of Lambryn. The temple houses well over two hundred priests at any time, and is the home base of hundreds of dwarven merchants whose caravan networks span much of Faerun. If rumors are to be believed, three adult or mature adult dragons serve as guardians of the Trademoot's treasure vaults, in addition to countless traps that riddle the lower levels.

Affiliated Orders: The Golden Hands of Vergadain is a widely scattered order of priests and thieves found in most major cities where dwarves live and trade, as well as along the major trading routes used by the dwarves. In exchange for a small percentage of any recovered wealth, members of the Golden Hands seek to secure the safety of dwarven merchants and deal with those who would cheat the Stout Folk. In cities, the Golden Hands organization is often structured like a thieves' guild, employing many rogues. They raid warehouses of merchants of other races believed to contain goods stolen from dwarven merchants by force or fraud. Along trade routes, the Golden Hands resemble roving mercenary companies composed largely of fighting clerics and specialty priests. They often seek out and destroy monsters or brigands threatening trade routes, ransom kidnapped dwarven merchants, and recover goods from plundered dwarven caravans.

Priestly Vestments: Vergadain's clergy favor rich robes of obvious cost studded with gems and trimmed with furs. A string of linked gold coins is draped over the shoulders and around the neck. While the colors used for clerical vestments vary widely, gold and deep purple are preferred in lands where their use is not banned by sumptuary laws. Ceremonia armor includes ornate chain mail, a gem-studded gorget bearing the god's symbol, and an elaborately decorated helm. Senior priests (5th level and higher) are expected to have their ceremonial armor plated in gold to avoid disgrace, and it is a mark of great status within the church for junior priests to do so as well. The holy symbol of the faith is a round gold coin. Such coins must be acquired in payment for trade goods and cannot be minted specifically for this purpose. Whenever another gold coin of similar value catches the priest's eye, which usually happens least once a month, the priest is expected to exchange the current holy symbol for the new coin, which then becomes the new holy symbol.

Adventuring Garb: Vergadain's clergy favor leather armor underneath their normal clothing. This provides some measure of protection yet is unlikely to give offense to trading partners by implying that the Gilded Merchant's safety is in question in the other's company. In dangerous situations, members of Vergadain's clergy favor chain mail, with a helm and a gorget bearing the god's symbol, seeing it as a necessary compromise between the need for both protection and maneuverability. Most priests of the Merchant King favor small weapons that are easily concealed, such as daggers, knives, and short swords

Abbathor (AB-bah-thor) the Avaricious is the dwarven god of greed, venerated by most evil dwarves and nearly all evil dwarven thieves. He represents the worst aspect and major weakness of dwarven character. Many dwarves and even nondwarves consumed with treasure lust and greed, or those who seek to steal valuables, make offerings to him.

The Great Master of Greed was once interested purely in the natural beauty of gems and metals, but became embittered when Moradin appointed Dumathoin the protector of mountain dwarves - a position Abbathor felt should be his. From that day onward, Abbathor has become ever more devious and selfserving, continually trying to wreak revenge on the other dwarven gods by establishing greed, especially evil greed, as the driving force in the lives of all dwarves.

The Trove Lord maintains an uneasy truce with the god Vergadain, but he is otherwise estranged from the dwarven pantheon. Abbathor particularly hates Dumathoin and Moradin for denying him his rightful place in the pantheon, and he secretly works against both. He hates Clangeddin for Clangeddin's self-righteous noble stance and certain past insult, and Clangeddin returns the favor. Berronar loathes Abbathor's deceitfulness, and Dumathoin shields treasures from the Great Master of Greed, to Abbathor's unending frustration and fury. Unlike Laduguer, however, Abbathor is tolerated by the other dwarven gods, although none trust him. Despite the fact that he embodies everything they teach their followers to avoid, he has sided with them in epic battles of the past and is still a valued member of the group. Abbathor never helps any nondwarven deity or being, however, with the notable exception of Task, draconic god of greed.

Abbathor is squat and hunched, despite his height. He seems to slither and sidle along as he walks, never making much noise but often rubbing his hands together. If carrying gems or gold, he often caresses these in a continuous, unconscious, overwhelmingly sensuous manner. At times, this has made ignorant folk attack him, overcome by lust to gain the treasure he holds.

The Great Master is said to have burning yellow-green eyes (blazing yellow when eager for treasure or when pouncing upon it, hooded and green while scheming or when thwarted). He has a sharp hooked nose like a giant eagle's beak and always dresses in leather armor and furs, both fashioned from the skins of creatures who have opposed him and died to regret it. He is said to have a harsh, husky, wheedling voice and a quick temper, hissing and spitting when angry. Abbathor is governed by his insatiable lust for treasure, especially gold, and is treacherous in his dealings with dwarves. He roams many worlds, including the Realms, in avatar form in search of treasure.

Abbathor uses any means, no matter how evil, to further his ends, which typically involve the acquisition of wealth. Should the Great Master of Greed see treasure worth more than 1,000 gp or any magical item, he attrated to steal it outright or slay the owner and then take it anyway. If frustrated in an attempt to steal an item, Abbathor tries to destroy it so as not to he tortured by the memory of his failure.

Other Manifestations

Abbathor manifests purely to work his own ends, typically in one of four ways:

He can create a sudden treasure lust in dwarves, gnomes, humans, or halflings (to avoid, succeed at a saving throw vs. spell at a -2 penalty; -4 if dwarven). Affected beings do anything Abbathor (in other words, the DM) wants for 6 rounds, in an attempt to seize known treasure and keep it, slaying all witnesses if that seems necessary. Combat with friends or loved ones allows repeated saving throws, one per round, to break free of Abbathor's power. Abbathor can cause any dwarf to be suddenly made aware of the precise location, nature, and value of hidden gems within 10 feet. Abbathor can cause magical silence and darkness, 15' radius, both lasting 1 turn, to aid the escape of a dwarf who has stolen something. Finally, whenever a treasure chest is opened or a hoard pile is disturbed, Abbathor tries to cause gems and/or coins to leap of their own accord. He makes them fall and bounce or roll away into crevices or other hiding places from which he may recover them later. Allow a 2 in 6 chance of this happening; if it occurs, roll d12 to determine how many valuables are affected, and allow PCs to make Dexterity checks to trap, catch, or retrieve them, according to how they act. Sometimes, when Abbathor's avatar is present in the Realms, two other manifestations occur. First, when Abbathor hears his name spoken (in the way all avatars can), a handlike invisible force snatches and clutches at the purse, pockets, worn jewelry, or sacks of the speaker, by way of warning. If anything comes loose (apply item saving throws and/or Strength and Dexterity checks as the circumstances suggest), treat the objects as leaping into hiding (as above) for Abbathor to claim later.

Second, when Abbathor's avatar or a being (almost always a dwarf) upon whom he is concentrating walks close to gems (either cut and finished or natural and still embedded in stone), the jewels sing with a high-pitched, multitoned chiming, rather like the sounds made by the glass and metal wind chimes popular in the South. This singing is audible to all and serves to guide Abbathor or his chosen being to the gems. Abbathor is served by aurumvorae, crysmals, dragons consumed with avarice, earth elemental vermin, earth weirds, ghost dragons, hetfish, incarnates of covetousness, khaasta, rappers, rust monsters, tso,werebadgers, and xavers. He manifests his pleasure through the discovery of gold and jewels of all sorts and his displeasure through the despoiling of treasure - causing gems to split apart, sacks of gold to tear, and so on.

The Church

All clergy members of Abbathor were male until the Times of Troubles, but since then some females have joined the church.

While Abbathor is publicly reviled in dwarven society ("gone to Abbathor" is a dwarven expression for lost treasure), most dwarves have been consumed on more than one occasion with the lust for treasure that he embodies. Rare is the dwarf who does not recognize the streak of avarice infecting the Stout Folk, and thus the Trove Lord's rightful place in the dwarven pantheon. Like an unliked and self-serving member of the clan who nonetheless is not known to have ever betrayed his kinfolk, the Great Master of Greed is venerated as a member of the Morndinsamman by most dwarves, even as they decry his beliefs.

Temples of the Great Master of Greed are always in underground caverns or secret, windowless rooms. Sacrificial altars are massive, plain blocks of stone, blackened by the many fires laid and burnt upon them. (Note that nondwarves tend to panic when sacrificial fires are lit, and the smoke begins to billow!) Abbathor's places of worship can easily be mistaken for treasure vaults, as they are typically painted in gold leaf and filled with a cache of purloined treasures. In fact, the most sacred places of the Trove Lord are caverns that once housed the hoards of ancient wyrms.

Novices of Abbathor are known as Goldseekers; full priests are known as the Hands of Greed. In ascending order of rank, the titles used by Abbathoran priests are Coveter of Copper, Seeker of Silver, Luster of Electrum, Hoarder of Gold, Plunderer of Platinum, and Miser of Mithral. High Old Ones have unique individual titles but are collectively known as the Masters of Greed. Specialty priests are known as aetharnor, a dwarvish word that can be loosely translated as those consumed with greed. The priesthood consists of gold dwarves (50%), shield dwarves (40%), gray dwarves (9%), and jungle dwarves (1%). Abbathor's clergy is nearly evenly divided between specialty priests (35%), cleric/thieves (33%), and thieves (32%), with the remainder being clerics (10%). Male priests still constitute most of the priesthood (97%). Abbathor secretly supports some leaders of the Wyrm Cult (described below); such specialty priests are known as noroghor, a dwarvish word that can be loosely translated as beast followers.

Dogma: Seek to acquire all that shines or sparkles, and revel in the possession of such. The wealth of the earth was created for those dwarves strong and crafty enough to acquire it by any means necessary. Greed is good, as it motivates the acquisition and the holding of all that is truly precious. Do not seize wealth from the children of the Morndinsamman, however, nor conspire against the favored of Abbathor, for such strife in the name of avarice weakens the clan.

Day-to-Day Activities: Like their deity, priests of Abbathor strive to enrich themselves, taking advantage of their positions and influence to steal or deal themselves some personal wealth. Such funds are typically cached in remote, fiendishly welltrapped hideaways, as amassing enough loot to retire in luxury is a game and a driving motivation among priests of this god. As noted above, however, there is one strict rule: No priest of Abbathor can steal from any other dwarf, or influence events to cause harm to the person or wealth of any rival priest of Abbathor. This is the infamous Abbathor's Commandment, of which dwarven thieves are often reminded. Priests of Abbathor do not like to remember so readily that it was uttered purely in order to preserve some followers of the god after angry fellow dwarves had slaughtered thief after thief in the robes of Abbathor's clergy.

The wider aims of the priesthood are to enrich all dwarves, working with the clergy of Vergadain and Dumathoin where possible toward that end. Across the Realms, priests of Abbathor are always looking for a chance for common dwarven profit (and their own personal gain) through underhanded and shady arrangements. The underground ways known to dwarves make them ideal smugglers, and many borders are undercut by tunnels enabling dwarven merchants to avoid duties and restrictions in transporting goods from one land to another. Dwarves are prevented from dominating the smuggling trade purely by their aversion to water, which effectively excludes them from shipborne activity.

Priests of Abbathor trade (on the sly) with anyone, including duergar, drow, illithids, Zhentarim, ores, giants, and other undesirable creatures or traditional enemies of the dwarves.

Dwarves have been slain by axes sold to ores by priests of Abbathor on more than one occasion. This contrariness, however, is an essential part of the dwarven nature, as is the goldlust that drives many dwarves on occasion - at such times they are said to be under the spell of Abbathor or in Abbathor's thrall. Priests of Abbathor can be considered to he permanently in this condition, but to have learnt subtlety and devious cunning in its pursuit, rather than simple, crude acquisitiveness. Beings who need something underhanded done can always contact priests of Abbathor if they know where to find them. (Usually only dwarves know how to do so.) For a fee, a known worshiper of Abbathor will often arrange a meeting between an outsider (such as a human) and one of the god's priests. The priest and the worshiper will both work to arrange the meeting so that the priest is in little danger of attack, kidnapping, or arrest. Priests of Abbathor secretly work to undermine the faith of Dumathoin and Berronar - the former in revenge for the Silent Keeper's assumption of a position meant for the Trove Lord, and the latter in response to the Revered Mother's concerted efforts to prevent thefts. Since such actions must always be kept secret from all but their fellow clergy members and may never endanger the immediate safety of the clan, the Hands of Greed must proceed very slowly in this task.

Holy Days/Important Ceremonies ; Solar eclipses and days when volcanic eruptions or other causes bring darkness during daytime are always considered holy days.

Once a year, priests of Abbathor sacrifice a creature on an altar. It must be an enemy of dwarves but can be anything from an elf to a boar. Ores, trolls, and giants are the most favored sacrifices. The faithful of Abbathor then bring gems in offering to the god, and these are placed upon the body, they must touch the blood of the sacrifice. The value of the sacrifice is said to determine the amount of Abbathor's favor that will benefit the offerer in the year to come. Even priests refer to this practice as "buying grace." The sacrifice is then burnt to ashes, gems and all. If magic or especially valuable gems are sacrificed, these sometimes disappear before the body is consumed, taken by Abbathor for his own (or pocketed by the priests for their own use, some say).

Abbathor's favor is said to include minor things like causing guards to sleep or become distracted, shaping shadows and moon-cloaking clouds to hide the features or exact position of a fleeing dwarven thief, or allowing a trapped thief an occasional battle-aid (in the form of an initiative roll bonus). Dwarves in need of Abbathor's immediate favor may make offerings at other times throughout the year. It is also customary to make an offering when one first worships at a particular temple.

Major Centers of Worship: Aefarn, the House of Gold, is a fortified temple complex housing much of the collected wealth of Abbathor's clergy. The temple is located deep beneath Turnback Mountain, the southernmost peak of a mountain range of similar name running north-south along the eastern border of Anauroch and north of the frozen steppes known as the Tortured Land. The treasure vaults of the Hands of Greed are located in a cavern complex hewn millennia ago from the surrounding granite by the great red wyrm Ragflaconshen, Spawn of Mahatnartorian, before he died defending his hoard from the avaricious Abbathor. In the Year of the Wailing Winds (1000 DR), a trio of Abbathoran priests stumbled across the wyrm's long-hidden lair after following a trail of gold coins placed - or so they suspected - by the Great Master of Greed.

After an arduous adventure bypassing the long-dead wyrm's many traps, the three priests finally penetrated Ragflaconshen's inner sanctum early in the Year of the Awakening (1001 DR). There they discovered that the great wyrm had survived, after a fashion, as a ghost dragon, his spirit unable to rest until his fabulous horde was replaced in kind. The Trove Lord then appeared to the three priests in a vision and directed them to muster the faithful (along with their personal hoards) scattered throughout the Cold Lands - the territory loosely incorporating the lands between the Moonsea, Anauroch, and the Great Glacier - in the ghost dragon's lair. This mass assemblage of treasure would allow the spirit of the Trove Lord's ancient antagonist and kindred spirit in greed to rest at last. When this was done, Abbathor appeared to his assembled worshipers in avatar form and directed them, under the leadership of the Three Coinlords (as the trio was thereafter known), to build a temple honoring him. This structure would house the assembled trove of treasure (possibly the most valuable to ever exist in the Realms), as well as all new wealth that its clergy acquired in the wider world. In the nearly four centuries since the founding of Aefarn, the caverns that make up the House of Gold have been entirely covered with gold leaf and studded with precious gems. The three seniormost priests of the temple compose the ruling triumvirate (still named for its founders), although Abbathor's assembled priests work collectively to defend the House of Gold from interlopers. Each priest has his own heavily trapped set of chambers in which his personal share of the temple's wealth is hoarded. Thus those seeking to plunder the House of Gold find themselves faced with innumerable smaller fortresses in addition to the formidable collective defenses.

Affiliated Orders: While Abbathor has no knightly orders associated with his faith, the Great Master of Greed has secretly embraced one of the most prominent cults in dwarven society as his own and begun granting spells to its priests, who are known as noroghor. The Wyrm Cult can be found in isolated dwarven communities throughout Faerun, but it seems more common in the North than in areas south of the Inner Sea lands. Its priests are few and secretive, employing dwarven sympathizers as spies and rewarding them for their aid by allowing them opportunities for recreation or revenge in beast form. The Wyrm Cult worships various beasts (especially dragons and other powerful creatures that dwarves treat with respect) and seeks to increase the power and wealth of its adherents by slaying and confounding enemies with the powers of beasts.

Consumed by a burning anger against all types of creatures who have oppressed or slain dwarves in the past, Wyrm Cult priests have taken to attacking all nondwarven adventurers who wander within their reach throughout the wilderlands of the North. Currently in need of wealth and power, they seek both through increased influence and greater numbers of worshipers as well as through the acquisition of magical items and controlled territories.

Priestly Vestments: Priests of Abbathor always dress in red - a brilliant scarlet, worn as underclothing for everyday use and as over-robes for ceremonial occasions. Over this they wear leather armor with leather caps (never helms). If this armor must be discarded, dark crimson robes are worn to echo - and yet conceal the brightness of - the scarlet underclothing. Clergy of Abbathor never wear wealth openly because of the god's saying: "The best is always hidden." The holy symbol of the faith is a gold coin at least two inches in diameter, which is stamped with the symbol of Abbathor on both faces.

Adventuring Garb: When expecting open combat, the Trove Lord's priests gird themselves in the best available armor and weapons with which they are proficient, in the fashion of most dwarven warriors. When stealth is required, however, members of Abbathor's clergy prefer the garb and tools of rogues. In all cases, however, the Hands of Greed keep the signs of their calling - including their scarlet underclothes and their holy symbols - concealed, as it is considered an affront to Abbathor to proclaim his name or his symbol openly

Deep Duerra (DEEP DWAIR-uh) is the duergar demigoddess of psionics, conquest, and expansion. She is venerated by gray dwarves skilled in the Invisible Art as well as duergar warriors who seek to conquer much of the Underdark and chafe at the defensive mindset of Laduguer's priests. A few rare surface dwellers with wild talents have begun to call on the Queen of the Invisible Art as well for aid in understanding (and more importantly, concealing) their powers, which are viewed with suspicion and fear by most of the populace. (It is assumed that the Invisible Art (psionics), as detailed in PLAYER'S OPTION: Skills & Powers, is permitted in the campaign if Deep Duerra is included in the dwarven pantheon. If the DM has only the Complete Psionics Handbook, appropriate adjustments will need to be made to the statistics given for Duerra's avatar below.)

The legends of the duergar tell of the gray dwarves' greatest queen, a warrior queen named Duerra, who led her grim troops to numerous victories against the surface dwarves, the drow, the illithids, and other Underdark races. During her centurieslong reign, the empire of the gray dwarves expanded to include vast reaches of the Underdark, including much of the territory that once composed Deep Shanatar, bringing the duergar to the pinnacle of their power. Tales of dubious authenticity also relate how Deep Duerra overran a city of mind flayers and wrested from them numerous powers of the mind. Supposedly Duerra's victory allowed the duergar to gain their current ability in psionics and enabled them to hold their own against the spells of the drow and the psionics of the illithids. Although much of Deep Duerra's empire has since fragmented and contracted, the gray dwarves still revere her uncompromising drive to expand duergar power throughout the Underdark.

Duerra has been estranged from the Morndinsamman since her ascension, and notwithstanding her immediate banishment by Moradin after her apotheosis, she has no interest in ending her supposed exile. Duerra's only ally is Laduguer, who is said to be her father. While she obeys and respects her patron, at least for now, Duerra secretly chafes at Laduguer's bitterness and resentment. She feels that for centuries he has squandered every opportunity to help the gray dwarves conquer the endless tunnels of the Underdark that are their patrimony. In truth, the Queen of the Invisible Art sees the duergar as a unique race with a manifest destiny to conquer the Underdark, and she feels that the gray dwarves' distant kinship with shield, gold, and wild dwarves is irrelevant and best forgotten. The actions of Duerra and her worshipers, like those of Laduguer and his followers, have fostered bitter rivalries with the other races of the Underdark and their gods. The enmity between Duerra and the illithid gods is particularly fierce, as she is rumored to have stolen many secrets of the Invisible Art from Ilsensine, the Great Brain of the illithids.

Duerra is bombastic, arrogant, and imperious. She expects her every whim to be attended to instantly, and she is firmly convinced other own inalienable right to rule. The Queen of the Invisible Art is dismissive of wizardly magic, considering it inferior to the power of the mind. Duerra is always plotting, planning, and strategizing her next conquest. She is never satisfied with what she has already acquired, as it is the conquest, not the holding, that she enjoys. The Axe Princess is ruthless in her drive to ensure victory, and she has absolutely no tolerance for any being, mortal or divine, who does not live up to her standards. Likewise, Duerra considers no sacrifice too great if it offers greater benefits down the road. The Queen of the Invisible Art occasionally dispatches her avatar to aid in conflicts between the duergar and other psionic races, particularly aboleth and illithids. Duerra also dispatches an avatar when a city of gray dwarves has a golden opportunity to expand its territorial holdings at the expense of other races of the Underdark, but for whatever reason, the duergar rulership is reluctant to act on it.

Until the Time of Troubles, all priests of Duerra were female, but since then some males have joined the clergy.

Within gray dwarven communities, perceptions of Duerra's church vary widely. Younger duergar admire the brashness and assertiveness her priests display. Older gray dwarves view Duerra's priests as impertinent upstarts who are likely to bring the combined wrath of the aboleth, drow, illithids, and other races of the Underdark down upon their heads.

The followers of Duerra are little known outside the Underdark. Even shield and gold dwarves are unlikely to have heard of the Queen of the Invisible Art. Other Underdark races perceive the emergence of Duerra's faith as an increasing threat to their own territories, and illithids in particular loathe the dwarven adepts who dare employ the Invisible Art against its rightful masters. Temples of Duerra are hewn from solid rock and are always constructed in symmetric patterns designed to be architecturally pleasing to the observer and to muffle sound. An empty throne sits atop an elevated dais in the central chancel, but it is never occupied except by an avatar of the goddess. Duerra's houses of worship serve as armories, barracks, and command centers for the senior priests who lead the temple army. Most are extensively fortified and well stocked with emergency supplies, weapons, and armor.

Novices of Duerra are known as the Close-minded. Full priests of the Queen of the Invisible Art are known as Mindaxes. In ascending order of rank, the titles used by Duerran priests are Psionic Blaster, Mind Thruster, Ego Whipper, Id Insinuator, Psychic Crusher, and Thought Conqueror. High Old Ones have unique individual titles but are collectively known as Axe Princesses/Princes of the Invisible Art. Specialty priests are known as norothor, a dwarvish word that can be loosely translated as those who seize enemy land. The clergy of Duerra consists primarily of gray dwarves (99%), but a handful of gold dwarves, shield dwarves, and wild dwarves skilled in the Invisible Art secretly serve the Daul of Laduguer as well while remaining in or near their own communities. Duerra's clergy consists of specialty priests (25%), psionicists (22%), crusaders (18%), clerics (11%), fighter/specialty priests (9%), fighter/clerics (8%), and cleric/thieves (7%). Fully three-quarters of each group of priests multiclass the psionicist class as . Duerra's clergy is predominantly female (97%).

Dogma: The children of Laduguer shall conquer the earth and stone from which they sprang and the voids in which they dwell. The seizing of new lands, new wealth and new servitors is the manifest destiny of those who mine the Night Below. Magic is weak, unreliable, and unsubtle when compared to the powers of the mind unless bequeathed and steadied by the will of the gods. By means of the Invisible Art, the duergar shall destroy or enslave all who rely on their petty magics to survive. One day all will bow to the power of the duergar and the brilliance of the Invisible Art.

Day-to-Day Activities; Duerra expects her priests to be capable leaders who use cunning strategy to defeat their enemies in an endless quest for increased power. Unlike the Ladugueran clergy, who are typically responsible for the defense of duergar cities, homelands, and mines, senior Mindaxes command elite strike forces composed of duergar warriors, junior Ladugueran priests, and Duerran priests. These teams are responsible for the scouting and seizing of new tunnels. Within duergar society, Axe Princesses/Princes of the Invisible Art monitor the very thoughts of both slaves and their gray dwarven masters, alert for any sign of disloyalty, and eliminate troublesome elements as necessary. Duerran priests instruct young gray dwarves in developing their natural psionic talents and teach the art of war and survival techniques in the wilds of the Underdark.

Holy Days/Important Ceremonies: The Duerran church celebrates two holy days annually. The first, known as the Rallying, is celebrated on Midwinter eve. On this night, the followers of Duerra assemble to commemorate the triumphs and conquests of the previous year and to proclaim their intentions to seize new territory. Grim chants of war and the pounding of hammers against stone echo through the tunnels as the duergar work themselves into a grim fury. The culmination of such martial exaltations is the display of the newly seized skull of an enemy from another race whose territory will be besieged in the coming year. The other holy day of the Duerran faith is celebrated on the 5th of Mirtul. On this day, skilled practitioners of the Invisible Art assemble in Duerran temples to join in the Melding, a psionic ritual in which the assembled minds of the gray dwarves contact Duerra herself. The duergar temporarily form a common mind that rivals that of the great Elder Brains of the illithids. It is from such Meldings that many insights leading to great advances in duergar technology and psionics have come.

Offerings to the Queen of the Invisible Art are made at both ceremonies; these typically include dirt or stone carried back from the borders of newly conquered territory, the brains of psionic individuals, or shattered skulls from members of any intelligent race.

Major Centers of Worship: The duergar city of Underspires is located deep below the Osraun Mountains of northern Turmish, suspended above a gigantic rift in the earth. The entire city is constructed from gigantic stalactites dangling above a chasm whose bottom has never been plumbed, and its structures are linked by numerous stone causeways. The royal palace and great Duerran temple of Underspires is known as Ultokolor, the Worldthrone. Underspires is ruled by War King Olorn Ridaugaur (a fighter/psionicist), son of Deep Duerra and grandson of Laduguer. His wife, War Queen Ovdana Xothcorlar (a specialty priest of Duerra/psionicist), daul of Cathbara, blood of Llaemna, and the high priest of Duerra in Underspires, rules at his side. The militaristic, subterranean city-state has long been ruled by its preeminent generals, drawn from the ranks of Duerra's followers, and the rulers of Underspires have waged many bloody wars with their neighbors. There is continuous strife between the armies of Underspires and the drow of Undraeth, a city deep beneath the Aphrunn Mountains, which has been ruled for centuries by the hated foe of the duergar, Queen Nathglaryst. Likewise, in the late 1200s DR, the gray dwarves of Underspires waged a five-decade-long and ultimately inconclusive war with their surface kin in Ironfang Keep among the Mountains of the Alaoreum. (This is not to be confused with the mysterious fortress of the same name on the shores of the Moonsea.) That conflict, known to the dwarves of the Alaoreum as the Campaign of Darkness, has continued fitfully to the current day.

In the Year of Shadows (1358 DR), during the Fall of the Gods, Duerra's avatar appeared in Underspires in the form of the Queen Mother, who was serving as regent of the duergar city until War King Olorn reached his maturity. Duerra began assembling and training an army of elite duergar warriors. Initial forays against the outlying dwarven and drow settlements of Ironfang and Undraeth served to shape the army of Underspires into its highest level of readiness in centuries. Under the leadership of their divine regent, the duergar extended their holdings to the Underdark tunnels deep beneath the Cloven Mountains, reaching the deepest mines of long-fallen Tathtar. Duerra then disappeared into the southernmost reaches of the Underdark, and the young War King ascended to the Underthrone.

Since the Time of Troubles, the duergar king, a dark-skinned dwarf nearly 12 feet in height, has sent his armies against the illithids of Oryndoll to the west beneath the Shining Plains and against the drow, dwarves, and svirfneblin beneath the Dragonreach lands to the North. In twelve years of war, the gray dwarves have overrun the outlying territories of their enemies, but the quick conquests won under Duerra's leadership have been few and far between. The emerging empire of the gray dwarves has quickly amassed a wide number of enemies and rivals, and it may be vulnerable to a concerted attack by its foes.

Affiliated Orders: The Mindstalkers of the Invisible Art are a secretive group of Duerran psionicist/priests with cells in most northern gray dwarven settlements. The Mindstalkers seek to unite the disparate duergar realms of the Northdark into a great empire ruled by the collective consciousness of the order. While the Mindstalkers are centuries from accomplishing their goal, they have begun to extend their invisible tendrils into most duergar settlements beneath the Savage Frontier, and much of the trade .conducted by gray dwarven merchants in the region is at their direction. In recent decades, the Mindstalkers have established a cell in the subterranean city of Skullport in the dungeons of Undermountain beneath Waterdeep. They seek to purchase surface-dwellers with unusual psionic talents to breed into the gray dwarven race, and they have been actively culling wild talents from Skullport's slave bazaars for years.

Priestly Vestments : The ceremonial garb of Duerra's priests includes ornate, gleaming chain mail (often treated with everbright or Mueshine) and dark blue velvet robes trimmed with the fur of surface animals. No headgear of any sort is worn, but a beautiful weapon, often bejeweled, is always borne. The holy symbol of the faith is a two-inch diameter silver orb, carved to resemble the skull of an illithid, with a large crack running across the top. A steel chain is usually threaded through the skull's ear holes so that it can be worn around the neck.

Adventuring Garb: Outside of ceremonial functions, Duerran priests eschew their glittering mail for the drab chain or dwarven plate mail common to the duergar and a hooded, ankle-length gray-blue robe. The primary weapon of most Mindaxes is the battle axe, in deliberate imitation of their goddess, but Duerra's priests are also skilled in the use of weapons favored by most gray dwarves, including heavy and light crossbows, picks, short swords, spears, and war hammers.

Laduguer (LAA-duh-gwur) is the patron of the duergar, or gray dwarves, a malevolent breed of dwarves who dwell in the dark reaches of the Underdark and who withdrew from the rest of dwarven society long ago along with their god. The Exile is venerated by most gray dwarves as the protector of the race who defends them from the countless other creatures of the Underdark who wish to enslave them and seize their tunnels, mines, and crafts. Duergar craftsmen, particularly those who seek to create magical weapons, pay particular homage to Laduguer.

Laduguer has long been estranged from the other members of the Morndinsamman, and he regards them as lazy, indolent, and feckless. The reasons behind the Gray Protector's exile vary according to the perspective of the speaker: The Morndinsamman, as well as most gold and shield dwarves, hold that Laduguer was banished by Moradin for his crimes, while Laduguer, as well as most gray dwarves, asserts that he took a stand on principle against the other dwarven gods, and that his exile is self-imposed. The Exile particularly loathes Moradin, his nominal superior, and the personal animosity between the two accounts for much of Laduguer's enmity against the rest of the dwarven pantheon. In fact, Laduguer's only ally is Deep Duerra, a once-mortal demipower he elevated to the rank of divinity.

The withdrawal of Laduguer's followers to the Underdark and their subsequent territorial conflicts with races such as aboleth, beholders, derro, drow, illithids, ixzan, kuo-toa, myconids, svirfneblin, and troglodytes has created a great deal of strife and enmity between the Exile and other powers with an interest in the Night Below. Although he once managed to win hegemony over the giant tarantulas known as steeders during a brief alliance with Lolth, the Spider Queen and the Gray Protector have long feuded as their followers battled. Likewise Ilsensine, the Great Brain of the illithid race, has long sought revenge against Laduguer for some ancient slight. The Abyssal Lord once known as Orcus is also a target of Laduguer's wrath, for the Prince of the Undead once subverted the worship of the duergar of the Galenas beneath the Mines of Bloodstone. Laduguer is habitually grim, gloomy, and joyless. The Exile's nature is certainly evilly inclined, but much of this is the evil of a being turned in on itself and bitter at what he sees as being unvalued and rejected by the other dwarven powers. Laduguer is supremely lawful, unbending and harsh, and he demands constant toil under harsh conditions from the duergar. He does reward hard work by teaching the Grafting of magical items (especially weapons) and by extending his protection. The Exile sends an avatar to defend a hardworking and oppressed duergar community by use of protective and warding magic, rarely entering into open battle. (It is assumed that the Invisible Art (psionics), as detailed in PLAYER'S OPTION: Skills & Powers is permitted in the campaign if Laduguer is included in the dwarven pantheon. If the DM has only the Complete Psionics Handbook, appropriate adjustments will need to be made to the statistics given for Laduguer's avatar, below.)

Other Manifestations

Laduguer's power is usually seen as a flickering dark radiance enveloping an area, weapon, or person that is temporarily imbued with the god's power.

Before the Time of Troubles, Laduguer's priesthood was exclusively male. Since that time, some females have joined the clergy.

Within gray dwarven communities, Laduguer and his clergy are considered strict taskmasters whose strengths and mandates ensure the very survival of the duergar. Few gray dwarves resent the Exile's mercilessly high standards, and most duergar respect him for his principled stand against the lazy and weak Morndinsamman and their shield and gold dwarven followers. Shield dwarves, gold dwarves, and svirfneblin regard Laduguer and his followers as embittered fools deserving of their fates who have done much to undermine the strength of the dwarven race in both their absence and their assaults on nonduergar dwarven holds. Other races in the Underdark have little sympathy for the gray dwarves or their embittered god and seek only to destroy or subjugate them.

Temples of Laduguer are grim, smoke-filled halls hewn from solid rock and bereft of adornment, aside from weapons and armor demonstrating the skilled craftsmanship of the Exile's priests. Laduguer's houses of worship are filled with armories, barracks, smithies, storerooms, and Steeder stables. Many are built directly atop mine shafts from which the raw materials are extracted. Great coal-burning forges provide the only warmth, and their ashen exhaust covers ever surface in dark soot. Clerical guards, many of them mounted on steeders, are everywhere, overseeing the skilled smithwork that proceeds without pause.

Novices of Laduguer are known as the Untempered. Full priests of the Exile are known as Grimcloaks. In ascending order of rank, the titles used by Ladugueran priests are Deep Adept, Dark Craftsman, Invisible Artisan, Rune Weaver, Grim Guardian, and Doom Knight. High Old Ones have individual titles but are collectively known as the Ardukes of the Gray Gloom. Specialty priests are known as thuldor, a dwarvish word that can be loosely translated as those who endure. The clergy of Laduguer consists primarily of gray dwarves (99%), but a handful of embittered and/or exiled gold dwarves, shield dwarves, and wild dwarves serve the Exile as well. Laduguer's clergy consists primarily of specialty priests (55%), but includes clerics (16%), crusaders (14%), fighter/clerics (8%), and cleric/ thieves (7%). If the Invisible Art (psionics) is permitted in the campaign, two-thirds of each group of priests multiclass the psionicist class as well. The overwhelming majority of the clergy (95%) is male.

Dogma: The children of Laduguer have rejected the indolent and feeble gods of their forefathers and withdrawn from their lazy once-kin so as not to be tainted by their weaknesses. Strict obedience to superiors, dedication to one's craft, and endless toil are necessary to achieve wealth, security, and power. The hands of a craftsman are his tools, and a master craftsman always uses the most appropriate tools available. Nothing is ever easy, nor should it be. Suffer pain stoically and remain aloof, for to show or even feel emotion is to demonstrate weakness. Those who are weak are undeserving and will suffer an appropriate fate. Adversity is Laduguer's forge, and the harsh trials through which the duergar must pass are his hammer blowsendure all and become stronger than adamantite.

Day-to-Day Activities: Laduguer's priests serve as the leaders, defenders, and elite artisans of gray dwarven society. As reflected in the title given to High Old Ones-arduke being a dwarven title for clan leader - Laduguer's clergy derive their spiritual and temporal authority from the role the Exile's early priests played in leading the ancestors of the gray dwarves away from the rest of dwarven society. Unlike gold and shield dwarven cultures where religious and clan leadership are usually distinct, the duergar make no distinction between the two roles. As the protectors of duergar enclaves, members of Laduguer's clergy command and serve in the military and are ultimately responsible for the care, feeding, and training of steeders. They are responsible for the brewing of poisons, the infliction of torture, and the exploitation of slaves. To ensure the safety of the gray dwarves as a whole, Laduguer's priests forcefully repel contacts from other races, permitting trade only under very controlled circumstances far removed from duergar strongholds. The Exile's clergy are also expected to be skilled craftsmen, particularly of magical weapons, and the older and more frail priests are typically the elite artisans of any gray dwarven community.

Holy Days/Important Ceremonies : As befits their grim lives, gray dwarves are a race almost without joy who reserve their celebrations for victories over enemies and for the grim pleasure of inflicting pain on those unlucky enough to fall into their clutches.

The only regular holy day is celebrated annually at Midwinter and is known as Grimtidings. On this day only, the duergar lay down their hammers and gather to hear their priests recount the trials the duergar have suffered since their voluntary exile and the weaknesses of the other dwarven subraces and their gods. Laduguer is extolled for his artistry and craftsmanship, and a litany of those who have given insult to the god and the gray dwarves and against whom a promised, deadly revenge is recited.

The Ardukes of the Gray Gloom also declare holy days, known as Guerdon Revels, after major victories and when prisonersparticularly gold and shield dwarves-are captured. While the work does not stop during such festivals, most gray dwarves are given a few moments off from their labors to observe the recounting of heroics by duergar warriors, to examine plundered loot, and to participate in the torture and painful deaths of any prisoners.

Major Centers of Worship: Dunglorrin Torune, Overtake Hold, is located far beneath the surface in Gracklstugh, the largest city of gray dwarves in the Northdark. Deeper even then Menzoberranzan and Blingdinstone, Gracklstugh is a teeming city on the shore of the Darklake, renowned for the steel blades crafted in its forges. The temple itself is carved into the heart of a massive stalagmite formed from the exodus of a nearly vertical stream that winds downward tor miles from the surface lands of the North to rain down on the subterranean tor and drain into the adjoining Darklake. Dunglorrin Torune bristles with chimneys from which billows forth the smoke of the temple's forges and ledges from which balls of burning pitch can be hurled from stone catapults at any invaders attempting a waterborne invasion of the surrounding city. Priest-guards mounted on steeders patrol the stalagmite's steep, slick slopes, and they ferry the raw materials from the mines to the temple's foundries and finished goods to the merchants in the city below.

The high priest of Overlake Hold is Morndin Gloomstorm, son of Kildor, blood of Balgor, of Shimmergloom's Run. Morndin is one of the few surviving duergar of Clan Bukbukken, a clan that once occupied the undercity of Mithral Hall and served the great shadow wyrm Shimmergloom, the Drake of Darkness, before the shield dwarves of Clan Battlehammer reclaimed their ancestral home and drove the gray dwarves back to Gracklstugh.

Affiliated Orders: The Gray Lances of the Snarling Steeder are a mounted order of duergar crusaders and fighter/priests. The Gray Lances serve as the elite cavalry of gray dwarven armies, and their most common opponents are drow mounted on riding lizards. Individual duergar knights and their steeder mounts are well schooled in subterranean warfare techniques for battles that unfold across cave floors, walls, and ceilings.

Priestly Vestments: The clerical vestments of Laduguer's priests consist of utilitarian metal armor and the gray, hooded mantles for which the Grimcloaks are named. The holy symbol of the faith is a gem of any type, split nearly in twain by a large crack, one half of which is deeply flawed and the other half of which is perfect. For the duergar, such gems symbolize their split from the rest of the dwarven race and their superiority over those they have forsaken.